North America
Global News December 2023
Latest industry developments from around the world!
APGA Continues Focus on Advocacy of Natural Gas
(P&GJ) – Formed in 1961, the American Public Gas Association (APGA) has played an instrumental role in the operations of more than 700 member companies in 36 states ever since, by representing its members before Congress and other federal agencies through careful assembling of regulatory and legislative positions.
Editor’s Notebook: Trouble in the Heartland
(P&GJ) — It seems that even CO2 pipelines — a centerpiece of the Biden administration’s net zero greenhouse gas reductions policy — can’t catch a break when it comes to getting out of the starting block where permitting and public opinion are concerned.
Elliott Takes $1 Billion Stake in U.S. Pipeline Operator Phillips 66, Urges Board Revamp
Elliott Investment Management has taken a $1 billion stake in Phillips 66 and is urging the U.S. oil refiner and pipeline operator to revamp its board to boost lagging performance.
Occidental in Talks to Buy Permian Producer CrownRock
Occidental Petroleum is one of the finalists in the auction for CrownRock, an energy producer in the west Texas area of the Permian basin, with a bid of more than $10 billion. ConocoPhillips, Diamondback Energy, Devon Energy, Marathon Oil and Continental Resources were also studying potential bids.
Riposte Capital Pushes for Board Overhaul at Energy Producer SilverBow
One of SilverBow Resources Inc.'s largest investors is pushing the U.S. oil and gas producer to revamp its board to address governance concerns and boost its lagging performance, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.
Viewpoint: Two US Project Highlight Divide Over Carbon Removal’s Role in Energy Transition
The Texas and Louisiana direct air capture projects are in neighboring states, but the companies leading them are worlds away when it comes to their views on how carbon removal should be deployed in a climate-friendly future and the role oil and gas should play in its deployment.
Canadian Pipeline Operator TC Energy Forecasts Higher 2024 Earnings Despite Competition
TC's Keystone oil pipeline, which moves crude from Alberta to U.S. Midwest refineries and the Cushing, Oklahoma storage hub, faces stiffer competition starting in the first quarter when the Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline is scheduled to complete an expansion.
Canada Oil Sands CCS Project to Make Final Investment Decision in Mid-2025
The CCS project will require a 400-kilometer (249-mile) pipeline to transport captured carbon. Pathways is also consulting with Indigenous groups along its path about potential economic participation, such as taking an equity position in the project.
Greek Shippers Exit Russian Oil Trade as U.S. Tightens Price Cap Scrutiny
Three major Greek shipping firms have stopped transporting Russian oil in recent weeks in order to avoid U.S. sanctions now being imposed on some shipping firms carrying Russian oil, four traders told Reuters and shipping data showed.
Trans Mountain Faces Regulatory Hearing on Pipeline Variance Request
The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has ordered the company building the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion (TMX) to appear at an oral hearing on Monday, as the regulator weighs whether to approve a variance request from the project.
Court of Appeals Affirms Dismissal of Lawsuit by Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters
A recent ruling by a three-judge panel from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the decision made by a federal judge in 2021 to dismiss a legal action brought forth by demonstrators opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Canadian Oil, Gas Producers Plan to Drill 8% More Wells in 2024, Riding Pipeline Expansion Wave
Canadian oil and gas producers will drill 8% more wells in 2024 to take advantage of greater access to pipelines, with the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion due to open, an industry group said in an annual forecast on Friday.
Motiva Postpones Port Arthur CDU Overhaul to January; Smaller Unit Reopens This Week
Motiva Enterprises moved the start of a planned overhaul on the large crude distillation unit (CDU) and coker to January from March at its 626,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, the nation’s largest, people familiar with plant operations said on Wednesday.
FERC Approves Full Operations Restart for Freeport LNG in Texas
U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Freeport LNG received approval to return part of its export plant in Texas to full operation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said on Wednesday.
Canada Initiates Financing for Carbon Capture Advancements
Canada will finance investment tax credits for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and for net-zero energy technologies, following through on previously announced subsidies meant to attract more green investment, its Fall Economic Statement (FES) said on Tuesday.
Few Ranking Surprises in Annual P&GJ Listings
(P&GJ) – The list of companies leading the way in Pipeline & Gas Journal’s 42nd annual 500 Report will certainly be familiar to long-time midstream observers, with little shake-up in rankings occurring between the 2022 and 2023 editions of the publication.
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Affects Seven Producers, Investigation Underway
U.S. officials said on Tuesday seven energy companies have been impacted by an oil discharge near Main Pass Oil Gathering Co.'s (MPOG) pipeline system in the Gulf of Mexico that is estimated to have released more than a million gallons of crude oil.
US Paves the Way for a New Era in Hydrogen: Federal Funding Boosts Clean Hydrogen Initiatives
The Biden administration strengthened its support for clean hydrogen back in October by funding a range of proposed development hubs spread across the United States.
Wolf Carbon Solutions Initiates Withdrawal of Carbon Pipeline Application in Illinois
Wolf Carbon Solutions has moved to withdraw its permit application in Illinois to build a carbon capture pipeline that would transport as much as 12 million tons of carbon dioxide annually to a storage site in the state, according to a company filing in the state regulatory commission docket.
Capital Power Acquires Two Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants in US for $1.1 Billion
Canadian energy company Capital Power said on Monday it was acquiring two U.S.-based natural gas-fired generation facilities in California and Arizona for a net cost of $1.1 billion.
US Coast Guard Investigates Source of 1.1 Million Gallons Oil Leak in Gulf of Mexico from Underwater Pipeline
The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was still looking for the source of a leak from an underwater pipeline off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico that it estimated had released more than a million gallons of crude oil.
TC Energy Receives FERC Approval for Virginia Reliability Project
Columbia Gas Transmission’s Virginia Reliability Project (VRP) is an expansion project that would replace two existing segments of the pipeline system to continue reliable and abundant natural gas supply.
Tankers Newly Sanctioned by US Supplied Russian Oil to India
Three oil tankers, newly sanctioned by Washington, regularly shipped Sokol crude from Russia's Far East to Indian Oil Corp., the country's top refiner, in recent months, according to ship tracking data from LSEG, Kpler and trade sources.
Texas Men Convicted in Attempted Sale of Iranian Petroleum, Face 45 Years in Prison
A U.S. jury has convicted two Texas men of trying to sell Iranian petroleum in violation of sanctions imposed by Washington and of conspiracy to commit money laundering, the Justice Department said on Friday.
ConocoPhillips' $8 Billion Willow Project Approvals Upheld by US Judge
A federal judge in Alaska upheld U.S. approvals for ConocoPhillips’ multibillion-dollar Willow oil and gas drilling project in the state’s Arctic on Nov. 9, rejecting environmental and indigenous groups' concerns that the project poses too large of a climate threat.
Cedar LNG Secures Exclusive FLNG Shipyard Deal with Samsung and Black & Veatch
(P&GJ) — Pembina Pipeline and Haisla Nation, partners in the development of the proposed Cedar LNG Project, have signed an exclusive agreement with Samsung Heavy Industries and Black & Veatch for shipyard capacity.
US Hydrogen Tax Credit Rule Faces 2024 Delay Amid Disputes Over Design
The Biden administration could push the release of a highly anticipated rule guiding the use of clean hydrogen tax credits into next year as Treasury officials struggle to resolve disputes between environmentalists and the industry over how "green" to make the incentive, according to two sources familiar with the administration's plans.
Energy Transfer, TotalEnergies Ink Deal for Crude Offtake from Blue Marlin Offshore Port
(P&GJ) — U.S. pipeline operator Energy Transfer said on Thursday it has signed a non-binding agreement to supply crude oil to French energy major TotalEnergies from its upcoming Blue Marlin oil export project.
Texas Regulator Assesses Over $1 Million in Fines for Oil, Gas Operators
(P&GJ) — The Railroad Commission of Texas assessed $1,063,647 in fines involving 342 enforcement dockets against operators and businesses at the Commissioners’ Conference on Nov. 15.
- 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. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- Malaysia’s Oil Exports to China Surge Amid Broader Import Decline
- 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
