Regulation
INGAA Locks Horns With PHMSA; Wheels Turning on Hazardous Liquids Program, GHGs
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) has locked horns with PHMSA over the agency's advisory bulletin on pipeline safety.
PHMSA Calls For Major Work On Trans-Alaska Pipeline
Federal pipeline regulators want the trans-Alaska pipeline operator begin major work to make the 33-year-old, 800-mile line less susceptible to accidents as the amount of oil flowing through it declines, according to an AP report on Feb. 14.
Deciphering 49 CFR 195.446 Control Room Management Regulations When Choosing A SCADA System
Choosing a SCADA system based only on the human-machine interface (HMI) and a few performance features of the remote terminal unit (RTU) could paint you into an expensive corner when attempting to comply with 49 CFR 195.446. Understanding those regulations and keeping their requirements in mind when evaluating and choosing a SCADA system could save time, money and a lot of headaches.
INGAA calls Senate pipeline safety authorization bill constructive starting point
A bill introduced Feb. 3 by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to reauthorize the Pipeline Safety Act is a “constructive starting point” for renewing the law that ensures the safety of the interstate natural gas pipeline system that delivers almost one quarter of the energy consumed by Americans, said INGAA President and CEO Don Santa.
Persily Optimistic About Alaskan Gasline Project
There is an office in Washington DC whose work will not be apparent to many in the United States for several years; yet without the effort of the Office of Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects it is highly doubtful this mother of all pipeline projects will ever come to fruition.
Legislation Inhibits Petroleum Industry Growth, Forcing Firms To Re-strategize
A study by BDO USA, LLP found that 54% of chief financial officers at oil and gas E&P companies feel “legislative changes” will be the leading factor inhibiting growth of the U.S. oil and gas industry in 2011. In addition, 40% cite “legislative changes” as the greatest financial challenge in the year ahead.
U.S. To Keep Emissions Goal Thanks To Natural Gas
The United States will keep a pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions made in 2009 with help from a domestic boom in natural gas, Washington's lead negotiator said at the U.N. climate talks.
Are Political Games Destroying Domestic Oil & Gas Industry?
Changes announced on Dec. 1 of the administration’s new ruling banning offshore drilling along the East Coast and eastern sector of the Gulf of Mexico for five to seven years only further amplify industry’s questions of what the administration really wants with domestic oil and gas exploration and production companies. The continued changes to the offshore “drill – no drill” and potential changes in onshore production only further the uncertainty of U.S. oil and gas production and the desire to get closer to energy independence.
Transco To Invest $55 Million In Mid-Atlantic Expansion
Williams Partners L.P.’s Transco pipeline has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to provide an additional 142,000 Dth/d of incremental firm natural gas transportation capacity to serve growing markets in the Mid-Atlantic region by November 2012.
ANGA Names Tom Hassenboehler Vice President
America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) has named Tom Hassenboehler as vice president of policy development and legislative affairs. Hassenboehler comes to ANGA with a strong background in energy and environmental policy and political affairs.
FERC Investigates Pipeline Rates; PHMSA Rejects INGAA Pleas
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is investigating the possibility that two interstate pipelines are charging unreasonable rates. The FERC opened mid-November investigations of Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission LLC and Ozark Gas Transmission LLC, a unit of Spectra Energy Partners LP., based on reviews of Form 2 cost of service and revenue information submitted by the companies for 2008 and 2009.
Guidelines For Successful LDC Pipe Replacement Programs
This article focuses on steps in developing a successful pipe replacement program at a local distribution company (LDC). It will review the elements of a distribution integrity management program (DIMP) plan relative to pipe replacement and will discuss: 1) the common criteria used to develop a program, 2) how to rank and prioritize pipe segments, 3) tips for creating a program timetable, 4) importance and usefulness of partnering with state and local officials, 5) efficiencies gained by creating simplified and practical standards, 6) identifying program resources, and 7) developing a program communications plan.
EPA Sets Final Rule for GHG Measurement of Compressors and other Equipment, Mandates PCB Removal
The EPA made several concessions to the natural gas industry in its final greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring and reporting rule which the agency published at the end of October. The so-called "Subpart W" rule - 288 pages of complex technical language and charts - lays out the equipment in various natural gas and petroleum sectors which must be monitored for a group of GHGs, and prescribes the methods for that monitoring.
Canadian Standard Revised To Incorporate Higher Performance Plastic Pipe
Revisions have been approved to the Canadian standard dealing with the use of plastic pipe in oil and gas pipeline systems. The standard is CSA Z662-11 “Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems.” The revisions to be published next year include: <ul> <li>Added rapid crack propagation (RCP) required value of a full-scale critical pressure greater than 1.5 times the maximum operating pressure for polyethylene (PE) materials...</li>
Gulf Horizon Accident Shows How Unprepared Everyone Was
"Be Prepared!” Good motto for Boy Scouts and everyone else! On April 20, the BP Deepwater Horizon offshore rig caught fire. Eleven workers were killed, the rig in a few days was lost and the greatest environmental disaster to date was started. Now, roughly six months later, there are still many questions yet to be answered. What can we say about the calamity?
Marcellus To The Rescue
Growing up in Pennsylvania, there was one thing you were sure of: you had to go elsewhere for a job that paid decently. I grew up in a small town in the once-bustling Lehigh Valley – an industrial powerhouse typified by its biggest employer, the now defunct Bethlehem Steel Corp.
Exploring The Cost Of Lost Natural Gas
Volatility in natural gas prices for the past decade has not only impacted consumers, but also has changed corporate thinking. This volatility in the commercial, industrial, transportation and electric power sectors, in concert with global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions concerns, has created a paradigm shift in corporate attitude.
Major Pipeline Safety Reform Bill Is On The Way
Congress may vote during the lame duck session after the November elections on the biggest pipeline safety bill since the 2002 amendments established integrity management programs for distribution, transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines. Then again, a major reform bill may be delayed until the next Congress.
EIA Releases Winter Energy Outlook: Predicts WTI Oil $83/Barrel
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released new short-term outlook figures Nov. 9, predicting some changes in prices and conditions in the energy market. The report projects that the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil will average about $83 per barrel this winter (October 1 to March 31), a $5.50-per-barrel increase over last winter and $3 per barrel more than in last month’s outlook. Other highlights of the report include:
Refining Technology Targets Lower Emissions
Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc. and Praxair, Inc. announced Nov. 4 the introduction of a new technology designed to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units in refineries. The technology is intended to help refiners address increasingly stringent regulatory requirements while providing operational flexibility and lowering capital and operating costs.
Big Easy Offered Work, Networking And Fun For AGA Crowd
NEW ORLEANS, LA.-There has never been a time when representing the energy industry has been an easy job. In fact, that’s probably an understatement in this year of the oil spill that has brought unprecedented attention to the petroleum industry.
Plenty of Questions About San Bruno
In the wake of the deadly San Bruno, CA “incident,” as the industry likes to call it, that came in the wake of Enbridge’s problems in Michigan, Illinois and New York, which came in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the pipeline industry is going to have to come clean about the state of its infrastructure. Exactly how safe is the delivery system?
Approvals For TransCanada Tar Sand Pipeline Gets Sticky; Plus PMHSA Low-Stress Tug-Of-War And FERC Posting Edict
Despite criticism of his company's proposed nearly 2,000-mile pipeline through six states, Robert Jones, vice president, Keystone Pipelines, TransCanada Corporation, is very confident the U.S. State Department will approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
SHRIMP Helps Utilities Create DIMP Plans
In 2005 the American Public Gas Association (APGA) created the APGA Security and Integrity Foundation (SIF) to assist small operators to comply with their security and pipeline safety responsibilities. “Small operators” includes not only natural gas utilities but also master meter systems and propane piping systems that fall under the jurisdiction of pipeline safety rules. Initial efforts focused on training and operator qualification, but in 2006 when Congress mandated that PHMSA issue DIMP rules, the SIF, with support from PHMSA, began developing a model DIMP plan.
New Drilling Rules Announced, Administration Suggests Offshore Ban Might Lift Early
Ken Salazar, secretary of the interior for the Obama administration, announced a collection of new rules for offshore drilling Sept. 30 that the adminstration suggests may lead to the early lifting of the deepwater drilling ban it enacted after the BP/Deepwater Horizon rig blowout on April 20 this year. The moratorium is scheduled to lapse Nov. 30.
Small Business Jobs and Credit Act Extends Depreciation Credit
The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act passed by the U.S. Senate Sept. 16 will extend the 50 percent bonus depreciation deduction for 2010. Additionally, it includes approximately $12 billion in tax relief for small businesses and a $30 billion lending fund that will be administered by the Treasury Department.
September Newsreel: Peak Oil's Simmons Dies, Causes Of Enbridge MI Spill, AK Pipeline Could Cost $11B
<a href="http://pipelineandgasjournal.com/september-newsreel-peak-oils-simmons-dies-causes-enbridge-mi-spill-ak-pipeline-could-cost-11b#peak">Peak Oil Theorist Matthew Simmons Dies At 67</a> <a href="http://pipelineandgasjournal.com/september-newsreel-peak-oils-simmons-dies-causes-enbridge-mi-spill-ak-pipeline-could-cost-11b#tear">Enbridge Oil Spill Caused By Tear In Pipeline</a> <a href="http://pipelineandgasjournal.com/september-newsreel-peak-oils-simmons-dies-causes-enbridge-mi-spill-ak-pipeline-could-cost-11b?page=2#AKp">In-state Alaska Pipeline Could Cost Up To $11 Billion</a> <a href="http://pipelineandgasjournal.com/september-newsreel-peak-oils-simmons-dies-causes-enbridge-mi-spill-ak-pipeline-could-cost-11b?page=2#prci">Clifford Johnson Named President Of PRCI</a>
Fracing Disclosure Main Concern In Senate Energy Bill; Incentives For NG Vehicles Included
The energy bill the Senate is to finally take up in September is primarily a "BP-response" bill and contains none of the greenhouse gas emission reductions that Democrats had hoped to bring to a vote in a "Climate Change" bill, which is dead for this year.
NTSB Head Pushes Expansion Of Transmission IM Program, Pipeline Accidents Raise Questions, EPA Improves GHG Reporting For Pipelines
The BP Deepwater Horizon spill continues to have ramifications for pipeline safety even though neither gas nor oil pipelines had anything to do with the Gulf of Mexico disaster. Nonetheless, "BP" is an entry point for Congress and others to show renewed concern about potential environmental accidents from all sorts of energy activities.
Ruby Pipeline Receives FERC Approval to Begin Construction
El Paso Corporation announced August 2 that the Ruby Pipeline Project has received FERC approval to proceed and begin construction.
- 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
