Pipeline
Nexen Pipeline Spills 1.3 Million Gallons of Emulsion in Alberta
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — A pipeline at Nexen's Long Lake oil sands project in northeastern Alberta has leaked, spilling about 1.3 million gallons of a mixture of bitumen, water and sand. The company, which was taken over by China's CNOOC Ltd. in 2013, said the affected area is about 172,000 square feet, along the pipeline's route. Nexen says the spill was discovered Wednesday afternoon and it's since been contained. Alberta Energy Regulator and the company say it's too soon to say what might have caused the leak.
Rail Cars Leaking Crude After Train Derails in Montana
CULBERTSON, Mont. (AP) — More than 20 cars on an oil train derailed in rural northeastern Montana, and at least three of them were leaking crude, leading some homes to be evacuated, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of injury or fire, but of the 21 cars that derailed Thursday evening, only two remained upright, Roosevelt County Sheriff Jason Frederick said.
Kinder Morgan To Proceed with Northeast Energy Direct Project
Kinder Morgan announced Thursday its board of directors authorized subsidiary, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP), to proceed with the $3.3 billion Northeast Energy Direct (NED) project's “market path” segment from Wright, NY too Dracut, MA.
Northern Canada Proposes Potential Arctic Oil Pipeline
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Canada's provincial Northwest Territories government has been talking to pipeline companies about shipping crude oil through the Arctic, according to the territory's minister in charge of resource development. David Ramsay, the territory's minister of industry, and NWT Premier Bob McLeod, have been touting the concept of an "Arctic Gateway" pipeline, which could see Alberta crude moved north for shipment from a port on the Beaufort Sea coast.
PRCI Welcomes Pipeline Community to Tech Development Center
Research development organization Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) officially opened its new Technology Development Center at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour Wednesday. “We want you to think of this place as yours,” PRCI President Cliff Johnson told attendees, many of whom represented pipeline and service companies. “How would you use this space?” The 30,000 square-foot facility broke ground July 7, 2014 on a 10-acre campus northwest of Houston with about half of the area earmarked for a state-of-the-art pull-test facility.
Judge OKs $119 Million Royalty Settlement Against Chesapeake Energy
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma judge has approved a $119 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit that claimed a Chesapeake Energy Corp. affiliate underpaid natural gas royalties to owners in the past decade. A Chesapeake Energy spokesman said on Monday that the company is pleased that Beaver County District Judge Jon K. Parsley approved the settlement agreement. He said that the company looks forward to further strengthening its relationships with its Oklahoma royalty owners. The company didn't admit fault and denied that it did anything under the law in the agreement.
Price Gregory President Discusses Accomplishments, Semi-Retirement
Price Gregory President Michael Langston recently announced his retirement after a 35-year career in the pipeline construction sector. Langston joined H.C. Price in 1981. Following a merger between H.C. Price and Gregory & Cook Construction, Price Gregory was formed. Price Gregory was later purchased by Quanta Services and Langston was named president of the company.
Novel Solution to Fracking Wastewater Could Keep Everyone Happy
Water used for fracking has always been a headache for the oil industry but now, thanks to new technology being developed in the United States, produced water – H2O used in the process of oil and gas extraction – could soon be recovered and used to power the operation or be put back into the grid, saving operators a bundle. Critics of fracking have long pointed to the prodigious use of water in the fracking process as one of the reasons to be against the controversial procedure, which props open layers of shale rock in order to let the oil or gas hydrocarbons flow into the well bore.
Fewer Passenger, Freight Rail Delays Attributed to Drilling Decline
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Delays in Amtrak service and agricultural product shipping have eased across the Upper Midwest in part because weak oil prices have prompted a drilling slowdown in North Dakota, officials said. Along with recent track upgrades, a recently completed pipeline and a new North Dakota refinery also has resulted in fewer oil-laden trains, freeing up rail space and lessening the potential for another disastrous derailment, like the 2013 explosion in Quebec that killed 47 people, involving crude from western North Dakota's oil patch.
PHMSA Issues Rules for State Pipeline Excavation Damage Prevention, Enforcement
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced the issuance of a final rule to establish the process for evaluating State excavation damage prevention programs and enforcing Federal standards in states where such requirements are inadequate or do not exist.
California Gas Prices May Top $4 a Gallon Despite National Downward Trend
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — While gas prices nationwide are on a downward trend, California is experiencing a spike that could see prices top $4 a gallon before easing again, according to analysts. A shortage in oil and other components used in refining California's unique blend of less-polluting gas was one of the reasons for the price jump, industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said. A slowdown in imported crude and a refinery shutdown in Torrance also caused wholesale prices to skyrocket, experts said.
World News: Report Outlines Climate Framework, Spending
Development of a clear climate framework and a global emissions target is essential if $48-53 trillion for a new sustainable energy infrastructure is to be delivered, according to a new report from the World Energy Council. The findings are discussed in the fifth edition of the energy leaders’ dialogue series, the World Energy Trilemma Report, ‘Priority actions on climate change and how to balance the energy trilemma,’ released by the World Energy Council and project partner Oliver Wyman, along with the Global Risk Centre of its parent Marsh & McLennan Companies.
Offshore News: McDermott Awarded 12 Jacket Order for Saudi Fields
McDermott International, Inc. was awarded a large brownfield contract by Saudi Aramco for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of twelve jackets for offshore oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabian waters. Engineering and procurement is expected to be performed by McDermott’s teams in Dubai, and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The jackets are scheduled for fabrication by McDermott’s Dubai, U.A.E.-based fabrication facility.
EIA: Annual Energy Outlook Through 2040
The latest <em>Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015)</em> prepared by the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) presents long-term annual projections of energy supply, demand and prices through 2040. This analysis focuses on six scenarios: a reference case, low and high economic growth cases, low and high oil price cases, and the high oil and gas resource case.
Vaquero Midstream Invests in Southern Delaware Basin
Vaquero Midstream is moving forward on its gas-gathering and processing project in the Southern Delaware Basin. The company selected a site in Pecos County near the Waha Hub and the Lone Star NGL pipeline. Additionally, Vaquero anticipates building an extensive gathering footprint in the area, with over 100 miles of 8- to 30-inch pipeline, connected to central delivery points on producers’ acreage blocks. The company plans to complete construction of the plant and gathering system over the next 12 months with the complex in operation by mid-2016.
Company Blamed for 31-Acre Sinkhole Sues Oil Company
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The company blamed for a 31-acre sinkhole that forced 350 rural Louisiana residents out of their homes has sued Occidental Petroleum Corp., claiming that negligent drilling and production contributed to the damage. Texas Brine Co. said Occidental and Oxy USA Inc. should have to cover more than $100 million in damages that Texas Brine has paid or will have to pay. Occidental did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Assumption Parish.
SGA Chairman Says Bring on the Challenges
For every opportunity in the natural gas business there is an equal challenge, and conversely, every challenge can be turned into an opportunity. That’s the nature of the gas business today, but as any industry observer will tell you, that’s been the nature of the beast for the last 15 years.
Effectively Using New Data Technologies for Pipeline Routing
Oil and gas companies are using information technologies and resources now accessible on desktops for planning new pipeline routes. Technologies and resources include geographic information systems (GIS), mobile information technology, satellite imagery, topographic maps, environmental data and tax data.
Not Deterred By Huge Risks, Shell Opts For Megaprojects
U.S. shale has offered the oil industry a business model that is different from conventional drilling of the past. High initial decline rates, especially compared to conventional wells, requires companies to continuously drill to keep up production. But with lower upfront costs and shorter ramp up times, shale drilling is arguably less risky than a multibillion-dollar megaproject that the oil majors had become accustomed to over the past decade.
Latest in Pressure Cycle Induced Fatigue Crack Growth Modeling
Recent high-profile pipeline incidents have increased awareness of integrity threats associated with legacy seam-welded pipe. Additionally, expectations from the public, regulators and pipeline operators to effectively manage these threats have increased. Pipeline operators use guidance published in PHMSA’s TT05 – Low Frequency ERW and Lap Welded Longitudinal Seam Evaluation– to model the effect of pressure cycle-induced fatigue on the growth of crack flaws to determine the optimum integrity re-assessment date prior to their growth to a critical level.
NY Farmers' Group Proposes Gas Well Fracking Using Propane
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A group of five farm families is seeking a state permit for a natural gas well using gelled propane instead of water for fracking, thus avoiding New York's ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The Snyder Farm Group is seeking to develop a 53-acre natural gas well in the Tioga County town of Barton, near the Pennsylvania border. A permit application is in the preliminary stage before the Department of Environmental Conservation, a lawyer who represents the company seeking the permit said Thursday.
California Beach to Reopen 2 Months after Oil Spill
GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — A California beach fouled by an oil spill will reopen to swimmers and campers two months after a pipeline ruptured and spewed thousands of gallons of crude along the coast, officials said. State Parks rangers toured the shoreline west of Santa Barbara on Thursday and cleared Refugio State Beach to reopen July 17.
A Call for Crude Oil Exports and Pipelines
The U.S. shale revolution has created jobs, improved the balance of trade, spurred billions of dollars of foreign and domestic investment, reduced carbon emissions and lowered oil and gas prices. From the shale gas fields in Williamsport to the refineries around Philadelphia, new energy technologies have had a profound local impact. This revolution could do even more if the U.S. allowed crude oil exports and expanded its pipeline system.
Carbon Emission Regulations Could Jeopardize LNG Projects
Natural gas is increasingly being viewed as one of the most important sources of fuel in the coming decades. That is why Royal Dutch Shell, an oil major, made a huge bet onLNG when it decided to purchase BG Group, which has major holdings in LNG projects in Australia and East Africa.
Permits Granted for Bakken Pipeline Beneath ND Lake
The North Dakota Public Service Commission unanimous backed a Hess Corp. crude oil pipeline that will run under Lake Sakakawea. The $105 million project will convert an 8-inch pipeline to transfer Bakken crude oil along a 2.4 mile section of pipe buried 6 feet under the lake bottom in 1992.
Enterprise to Build 416-Mile, Texas-Based Pipeline
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. has executed long-term agreements that support development of a 416-mile, 24-inch pipeline to transport crude oil and condensate from the company’s Midland, TX terminal to its Sealy storage facility west of Houston. From Sealy, the new pipeline would link to Enterprise’s ECHO terminal through an interconnect with the Rancho II pipeline, which is scheduled to be in service shortly. Through ECHO, customers will have direct access to every refinery in Houston, Texas City, Beaumont and Port Arthur as well as Enterprise’s dock facilities.
DOEs Gant: Shifting Energy Policy to Stewardship of Abundance
Although we are already 15 years deep into the 21st century and women working at the top rungs of professional life no longer turn heads, when it comes to the “hard” numbers-crunching parts in the global economy – science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – women still get asked why they selected this way to earn a buck. This same question is occasionally put to Paula Gant, holder of a doctorate degree in economics and the deputy assistant secretary for oil and natural gas in the federal Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy.
House Committee Subpoenas Kerry for Keystone XL Documents
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House of Representatives panel has issued a subpoena to Secretary of State John Kerry for department documents, reports and letters related to the contentious push to build the $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline. Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced the subpoena on Wednesday. The pipeline would transport oil from Canada's tar sands to pipelines linked to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.
Administration Proposes More Safety Valves for Gas Lines
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Obama administration moved Wednesday to significantly expand a requirement for utilities to install inexpensive safety valves on gas lines across the nation following deadly fires and explosions going back decades that officials and safety advocates said could have been avoided. The Transportation Department proposal would cover new or replaced natural gas lines serving multi-family dwellings, small businesses and homes not already covered under a 2009 mandate.
Declining Rig Count in U.S. Tight Formations
The count for both horizontal and vertical rigs in U.S tight formations has declining drastically from October 2014. This article discuss the declining rig count in the seven major Energy Information Administration (EIA) U.S. oil and natural gas regions.
- Phillips 66 to Shut LA Oil Refinery, Ending Major Gasoline Output Amid Supply Concerns
- FERC Sides with Williams in Texas-Louisiana Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Marathon Oil to Lay Off Over 500 Texas Workers Ahead of ConocoPhillips Merger
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- Another Major U.S. Oil Refinery Shutting Down as Lyondell Confirms Houston Closure
- Chevron CEO Wirth Under Fire as Hess Deal Delay Drags Down Stock Performance
