Community & Environment
Bid to Pause ConocoPhillips' Alaska Willow Project Fails
A federal judge on Monday rejected a bid by environmentalists to temporarily suspend the U.S. government’s approval of ConocoPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic.
Mountain Valley Pipeline's West Virginia Water Permit Tossed by Court
A federal appeals court on Monday vacated a water permit needed by developers to restart construction on the Mountain Valley pipeline in West Virginia, marking the latest setback for the $6.2 billion project.
South Africa's Transnet Halts Gas Supplies After Pipeline Damage
South Africa's Transnet has halted gas supplies through its Durban pipeline after an excavator damaged it, the state-owned logistics utility said on Friday.
Mountain Valley Clears Permit Hurdle for 303-Mile Pipeline Project in Virginia
A federal appeals court on Wednesday backed construction authorizations for the $6.2 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline project in Virginia, after finding state regulators thoroughly reviewed the project's environmental impacts.
Virginia Natural Gas Receives Approval for Renewable Natural Gas Pilot Program
(P&GJ) — The five-year pilot program will allow for the production and delivery of RNG into Virginia Natural Gas' pipeline system and support the procurement of both RNG and next-generation natural gas.
Army Corps Extends Line 5 Tunnel Review, Delaying Enbridge’s Pipeline Project by 18 Months
Canada's Enbridge Inc. said on Thursday it was "disappointed" by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' decision to extend the federal permitting process for the company's proposed Great Lakes Tunnel that would rehouse its Line 5 oil pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac.
Editor’s Notebook: Getting the CO2 Out
(P&GJ) — Navigator Heartland Greenway has voluntarily withdrawn its application for a certificate of authority to build a 250-mile portion of its CO2 pipeline through a part of western Illinois, but the company said it plans to refile soon.
TotalEnergies' Bet on Gas Means No Big Emissions Cut by 2030
French oil major TotalEnergies forecasts its overall greenhouse gas emissions will not see a big reduction by 2030 given it wants to grow its gas business, executives said in an update on its climate strategy on Tuesday.
Insight: Huge Phillips 66 Biofuels Project Will Test the Industry’s Green Promises
In the oldest refining town in the American West, Phillips 66 is promising a greener future as it moves to halt crude-oil processing and build a massive renewable diesel plant.
Canada's B.C. Province Sets High Emissions Bar for New LNG Projects
British Columbia's decision this week to toughen emissions standards for new LNG projects creates one of the most robust climate plans in North America, but sets a high hurdle for industry even as many countries look to Canada to become a global supplier of gas.
Green Groups Sue Biden Administration Over Approval of Alaska Willow Oil Project
Six environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday over the Biden administration's approval of ConocoPhillips' Willow oil and gas project in Alaska, which they claimed could be a stepping stone to more development in an ecologically sensitive region.
Pembina Pipeline, Haisla Nation Receive Approval to Construct Pipeline for Cedar LNG Project
The Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline Corp., partners in the development of the proposed Cedar LNG project, have announced that Cedar LNG has received its Environmental Assessment Certificate for the construction of a pipeline that will connect the project into the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
Minister: Britain to Announce New CCS Support Within Days
The British government will outline within days incentives for companies to bury their greenhouse gases deep underground, using a promising technology for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, a minister said on Thursday.
Oil, Gas Executives on Hydrogen: Forget the Rainbow, Just Make It Profitable
Hydrogen as a potential alternative to natural gas, coal or oil burned in heavy industry or shipping is seen as key to reducing emissions in sectors where electrification is impractical. Hydrogen is often described by color and many in the industry call it a "rainbow renewable," but the most important color is green — as in cash, executives at CERAWeek said.
US Carbon Pipeline Faces Setback as Residents Refuse to Cede Land Rights
Navigator CO2 Ventures’ proposed carbon pipeline project in the U.S. Midwest is struggling to secure a site to store millions of tons of greenhouse gas it hopes to collect from the region’s ethanol plants, as residents refuse to give up land rights over fears the underground reservoirs could leak, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
US Regulator Orders Lower Pressure on Keystone Pipeline System After Spill
The U.S. pipeline regulator said on Tuesday it would require TC Energy to reduce operating pressure on more than 1,000 additional miles (1,609 km) of its Keystone pipeline that spilled about 13,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas in December.
Ecopetrol: Colombia Oil Pipeline Attack Causes Environmental Damage
An attack on an oil pipeline near a refinery in the Colombian city of Barrancabermeja has led to environmental damage but caused no injuries, majority state-owned oil company Ecopetrol said.
ConocoPhillips’ Willow Oil, Gas Drilling Project in Alaska Sparks Green Opposition
Environmental and climate activists are rallying online against ConocoPhillips’ proposed Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden weighs whether to greenlight the controversial plan.
Biden Administration Works on 'Green' Natural Gas as US Vies for Top LNG Spot
The Biden administration is holding talks with global energy companies and foreign officials in an effort to set standards for certified natural gas, a form of the fuel that producers market as climate friendly.
Police: Blast at Shell's Nigeria Oil Pipeline Kills 12
An explosion on a Nigerian oil pipeline owned by Shell killed at least 12 people on Friday, authorities at the scene said, while members of the affected community in Emohua said they feared many more had died in the blast.
Nigeria Oil Pipeline Blast Kills At Least One in Niger Delta
A crude oil pipeline explosion killed at least one person and injured another on Friday, authorities on the scene said, while members of the affected community in Emohua said they feared many more had died in the blast.
French Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against TotalEnergies Over Uganda Pipeline Project
Under the case filed in 2019, six French and Ugandan activist groups had accused the company of not doing all it could to protect people and the environment from the Tilenga oil development and the $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
Mexico's Pemex Increased Gas Flaring at Top Field, Despite Pledge to Stop
In January, an estimated 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas were burned from four flares at the Papan and Perdiz plants meant to process gas from Ixachi, satellite data shows, up from 1 billion cubic feet in November when the promise was made.
Pemex Deer Park, Texas Fire Broke Out in Crude Distillation Area
A Thursday night fire at Pemex’s 312,500 barrel-per-day Deer Park, Texas, refinery broke out in a crude distillation unit, said people familiar with plant operations. The sources did not know which of two Deer Park CDUs were hit by fire.
Say ‘Aloha’ to New Trend of Hydrogen Blending with Hawaii Gas
(P&GJ) — While most of the naphtha is converted to methane, some hydrogen is produced in the steam reformer process, resulting in hydrogen concentrations of up to 10% to 15%. As natural gas utilities around the world look to hydrogen as a potential solution to decarbonization, the decades of experience Hawaii Gas already has with a hydrogen blend provide an insightful study into the performance of equipment using hydrogen blends.
EPA: US 2022 Power Plant Emissions Fell on Switch from Coal to Gas
U.S. power plant emissions of pollutants that harm human health and warm the planet fell last year as the industry continued a switch from coal to natural gas, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday.
FERC’s Pipeline, LNG Project Evaluations Looking at EJ
(P&GJ) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is devoting an increasing amount of attention and staff resources to the evaluation of impacts of interstate natural gas pipeline and LNG terminal projects on environmental justice (EJ) communities (that is, communities with disproportionately large minority and low-income populations).
ESG & Innovation: API Looks at Species, Habitat Conservation
(P&GJ) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) published a first-edition document focused on species and habitat conservation for onshore natural gas and oil production facilities that will help boost the industry’s existing practices to enhance environmental performance.
Chesapeake Utilities to Develop Florida RNG Facility
(P&GJ) — FPU Renewables LLC, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corp., will construct, own and operate a dairy manure renewable natural gas (RNG) facility, a press release announced on Feb. 21. The project represents a capital investment of $22 million, with the first injection of RNG projected to occur in 2024.
Tokyo Gas Cuts Shareholder Returns to Invest in Decarbonization
Japan's Tokyo Gas will cut shareholder returns from the next financial year and use freed up funds to invest in technology to slash its carbon emissions, the company said on Wednesday. The company will pay out 40% of profits from the current 50% from the next financial year, it said.
- Trump Aims to Revive 1,200-Mile Keystone XL Pipeline Despite Major Challenges
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- ONEOK Agrees to Sell Interstate Gas Pipelines to DT Midstream for $1.2 Billion
- Energy Transfer Reaches FID on $2.7 Billion, 2.2 Bcf/d Permian Pipeline
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Tullow Oil on Track to Deliver $600 Million Free Cash Flow Over Next 2 Years
- Energy Transfer Reaches FID on $2.7 Billion, 2.2 Bcf/d Permian Pipeline
- GOP Lawmakers Slam New York for Blocking $500 Million Pipeline Project
- Texas Oil Company Challenges $250 Million Insurance Collateral Demand for Pipeline, Offshore Operations
