Regulation
Federal Pipeline Agencies Accepting Applications for Pipeline Safety Program
PHMSA has begun accepting applications for its new Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant program, which will offer nearly $200 million in grants annually over the next five years to improve the safety of high-risk, leak-prone natural gas distribution infrastructure.
German Ex-Chancellor Schroeder under EU Pressure Over Rosneft, Gazprom
The European Parliament urged that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder be blacklisted if he does not quit the board of Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft in a move also meant to dissuade him from taking a top job at Gazprom.
PHMSA Issues Proposed Civil Penalty to Colonial Pipeline Company
PHMSA issued a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Compliance Order to Colonial Pipeline Co., which includes multiple probable violations of Federal pipeline safety regulations. The proposed civil penalties amount to $986,400.
Ruby Pipeline Creditors Preview Bankruptcy Dispute Over Company Control
A lawyer for creditors of Houston-based natural gas pipeline Ruby Pipeline LLC in April questioned the company’s approach to its bankruptcy as it embarks on a Chapter 11 process with no concrete plan lined up.
Alberta Court Rules Canada's Environmental Impact Law Unconstitutional
The Alberta Court of Appeal said the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), which assesses how major infrastructure projects in Canada like pipelines impact the environment, was a “classic example of legislative creep.”
Russia Concerns Loom Over FERC and EPA Anti-Pipeline Efforts
Pipeline companies had already been pressuring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine to rethink its two new policy statements on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pipeline certificates.
Another Pothole in the Road
With its new policy declaring that greenhouse gas and “environmental justice” must be taken into account during the approval process for natural gas pipelines, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has outdone itself in further muddying the road forward for future projects.
Biden Sidelined Global Energy Partners with Record Emergency Oil Release
The United States announced a record-sized release of emergency crude oil reserves in March without consulting partners in the International Energy Agency, leaving them scrambling to match with releases of their own.
Swiss Court Rules on Which Gas Imports Are Subject to CO2 Tax
A Swiss court has ruled that natural gas imported to power turbines for compressing gas in the transit pipeline is not subject to the national carbon tax designed to curb the use of fossil fuels and protect the environment.
US Overturns Trump-era Policies for Arctic Alaska Oil Reserve
The Biden administration on Monday overturned a controversial Trump-era policy that would have opened new swathes of Arctic Alaska to oil development.
P&GJ Analysis: Biden’s ‘Big Project’ Environmental Reviews
With the Biden administration bringing back a stricter review process for pipeline and other major infrastructure projects later this month – it seemed like a good time to look at the origin of the policy and what the change will entail.
Rule Adds Protocols for Pipelines Near Sensitive Waterways
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) to the Federal Register in December that designated the Great Lakes, coastal beaches and marine coastal waters as “Unusually Sensitive Areas.”
API: Administration’s NEPA Rewrite Undermines Global Energy Security
The American Petroleum Institute (API) Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs Frank Macchiarola responded to the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) revised National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Phase 1 regulations.
St. Louis Natural Gas Pipeline in Jeopardy After SCOTUS Rejection
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from St. Louis-based natural gas company Spire Inc. to keep the 65-mile pipeline up and running.
Biden Plan to Aid Europe with LNG Poses Risk to US Climate Goals
U.S. President Joe Biden’s plan to expand LNG shipments to Europe to cut the region’s dependence on Russian fuel risks undermining his administration's climate goals.
Mountain Valley Pipeline Wins Federal Approval for Stream Boring
Federal regulators approved MVP's permit request to bore under about 180 streams and wetlands it must cross to complete the 300-mile natural gas pipeline.
Texas Drilling Permits Rise for March vs. 2021
The March 2022 total includes 1,035 permits to drill new oil or gas wells, seven to re-enter plugged wellbores and 113 for re-completions of existing wellbores.
Supreme Court Reinstates Trump-Era Clean Water Rule
In a 5-4 split, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily revived a Trump-era rule intended to fast-track big energy projects by limiting the states' power to curtail them under the Clean Water Act.
NTSB Issues Response to PHMSA’s Valve and Rupture Detection Rule
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a response to PHMSA’s new rule for automatic shutoff valve installation and minimum rupture detection standards for newly constructed and entirely replaced onshore gas transmission.
New FERC Pipeline Policies Proving Worrisome
The potential impact of Europe’s new need for U.S. LNG is now reverberating inside and outside FERC as that body attempts to implement its two new policy statements setting out new roadblocks to the approval of pipelines and LNG terminals.
PHMSA Releases New Rule for Pipeline Shut-off Valves to Strengthen Safety, Reduce Emissions
The requirements will apply to all new or replaced onshore pipelines six inches in diameter or greater. Additionally, pipeline operators installing these valves will be required to comply with new performance standards for the operation of those valves.
Industry Groups Welcome Biden Administration's Agreement with EU to Expand US LNG Exports
API President and CEO Mike Sommers and Energy Workforce & Technology Council CEO Leslie Beyer said their associations welcome President Biden's LNG export agreement with EU.
FERC Slows Consideration of Climate Impact of New Gas Projects
U.S. regulators voted to seek comments on two policy statements it issued last month that provide guidance regarding the certification of interstate natural gas pipelines and consideration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in natural gas project reviews.
U.S. Senator McConnell Asks FERC to Kill Climate Rule for Pipelines
U.S. Senator McConnell wants FERC to rescind the new rules that require pipeline project reviews to weigh the direct and indirect impacts of GHG emissions.
US Firms Want Pending Natgas Pipeline Projects Excluded from Emissions Rules
The greenhouse gas policy requires any project that would result in 100,000 metric tons per year of GHG emissions must complete an environmental impact statement, which analysts said was an expensive and time-consuming process.
Sanctions on Russian Oil, Gas Will Hammer Global Market, Novak Says
Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which was designed to double the flow of Russian gas heading direct to Germany, after Russia formally recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
US Tells Buyers of CPC Oil to Be Wary of Suspicious Non-Russian Origin Papers
The U.S. Treasury told buyers to be cautious if they think certificates stating crude from the Caspian Pipeline Consortium is not of Russian origin have been falsified.
Biden Administration Approves More LNG Exports to Europe
The Biden administration authorized additional exports of LNG from Cheniere Energy in a move that can likely help Europe deal with an energy crunch worsened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
API Launches Pipeline Facility Construction Inspection Program to Meet Industry Demand
As U.S. natural gas producers and exporters have mobilized to meet rising energy demand and U.S. LNG volumes have increased, more qualified technicians are crucial to meet safety and environmental standards.
Marathon Petroleum Shuts Oil Pipeline After Leak in Illinois
The leak into the Cahokia diversion channel was first detected on Friday morning and booms were deployed to try and contain the oil, parent company Marathon Petroleum Corp. said in a statement.
- Energy Transfer, ENN Sign 20-Year Deal for Lake Charles LNG
- Sempra Wins Extension to Build Pipelines in Texas, Louisiana
- Williams’ Natural Gas Pipeline Ruptures in Alabama
- MPLX to Move Forward with Permian, Bakken Pipeline Expansion Projects
- Sempra Strikes LNG Supply Deal with Germany's Largest Power Producer
- Myanmar Oil Pipeline Could Bring Cheaper Crude To China
- Canadian Company Ships Solid Oil Sands Bitumen to Chinese Refinery
- Ottawa Approves $7.7 Billion Loan Guarantee for Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion
- Register for the Virtual Pipeline Opportunities Conference-EMEA
- Results Show Billions in Profit from Texas Freeze for Gas and Power Sellers
