Regulation

Oil Prices Fall After Additional US Crude Reserve Release Announced

Oil prices fell in early Asian trade on Tuesday after the U.S. government said it will release 26 million barrels of crude from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Last year, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration sold a record 180 million barrels from the reserve.

Source: Argentine Congress to Take Up LNG Law in March After Delay

A law aimed at boosting Argentina's LNG industry, with an eye toward future exports, will be taken up in March after a delay blamed on disputes over legislative fine print, a energy ministry source told Reuters on Tuesday.

US to Sell 26 Million Barrels of Oil Reserves As Mandated by Congress

The Biden administration said on Monday it is selling 26 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a release that had been mandated by Congress in previous years. The U.S. Department of Energy considered canceling the sale of the 26 million barrels after the Biden administration sold a record 180 million barrels from the reserve last year.

U.S. Treasury to Open Advanced Energy Tax Credit Applications on May 31

The U.S. Treasury said on Monday it will open applications on May 31 for $4 billion worth of new tax credits for advanced energy manufacturing and decarbonization projects, with $1.6 billion of those required to be in communities hit by closures of coal mines or coal-fired power plants.

Louisiana Slams EPA Over Lack of Urgency on Carbon-Project Approvals

Louisiana and other top oil-producing states say they can speed up permitting of carbon sequestration projects if allowed to handle decisions that currently fall under the EPA. There are dozens of these projects with multimillion-dollar price tags proposed by energy firms around the United States.

Philippine Malampaya Gas Field Operator Seeks 15-Year Contract Extension

Prime Infra Holdings Inc., the new operator of the Philippines' Malampaya natural gas field, is seeking a 15-year extension of the project contract to be able to explore for additional supply around the reservoir, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

LNG Developer NextDecade Blasts Inaction by US Energy Regulator

U.S. LNG developer NextDecade Corp. on Monday criticized regulator the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for what it called "inexcusable" delays in reviewing information that would allow it to move ahead with a $15.7 billion export project.

Italian Union Files Legal Complaint Against Snam's LNG Terminal Over Environmental Concerns

The Italian trade union USB filed a legal complaint against a plan by gas grid operator Snam to set up a new LNG terminal in the Tuscan port of Piombino, it said in a press release on Friday.

US Senators Manchin, Cruz Float Bill to Block Gas Stove Bans

Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, teamed up to float the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, a bill that would prevent the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves.

Biden Backs Scaled-Down Version of ConocoPhillips Alaska Oil Project

President Joe Biden's administration said on Wednesday it would support a scaled-back version of ConocoPhillips' planned $6 billion Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska but has not yet made a final decision on the contentious proposal.

Carbon Pipeline Company Sues Iowa County Over Local Siting Ordinance

The developer of a Midwest carbon capture pipeline network has sued Shelby County in Iowa, saying its ordinance restricting the siting of hazardous pipelines is overruled by a federal pipeline safety law.

2,000-Mile Carbon Pipeline Project Sparks Battle Among North Dakota Landowners

(P&GJ) — Landowners from North Dakota gave testimony on Jan. 27 in favor of and against Summit Carbon Solutions' use of eminent domain to construct a 2,000-mile carbon pipeline network beneath hundreds of homes and farms in the Midwest.

Peninsula Pipeline Receives Approval to Expand Natural Gas Infrastructure in Nassau County, Florida

(P&GJ) — Peninsula Pipeline Co. will construct new infrastructure in two phases. Phase one involves the construction of three new pipeline segments, which consist of steel pipe, new regulator stations and improvements, a new gas injection point and three new points of delivery. Phase two of the project involves the installation of two new steel pipeline segments.

Texas Oil Regulator Advises Pipeline Operators to Prepare for Severe Winter Conditions

The Texas oil regulator on Sunday advised oil and gas pipeline operators to secure equipment and facilities after forecasts for severe weather over the next several days.

Pipeline Operator Kinder Morgan Sees Tax Credits Speeding Up Clean Energy Investments

U.S. funding for clean energy projects will help energy pipeline operator Kinder Morgan accelerate its investments in renewable natural gas and carbon sequestration, executives said on Wednesday.

US Issues License to Trinidad and Tobago to Develop Venezuela Offshore Gas Field

The Biden administration has granted a license to Trinidad and Tobago to develop a major gas field located in Venezuelan territorial waters, U.S. and Trinidad officials said on Tuesday, marking a further easing of some sanctions on Venezuela.

Exxon Stops Routine Gas Flaring in The Permian, Wants Others to Follow

Exxon Mobil Corp. said it has stopped routine flaring of natural gas from production in the top U.S. shale basin and will press for stronger regulations for rivals to do the same, company officials said in an interview.

Energy Secretary Granholm Says Biden Would Veto House Republican Bill on Oil Reserve

President Joe Biden will veto a bill by U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve if it passes Congress, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Monday.

Santos Faces New Delay on Barossa Gas Pipeline Due to Heritage Assessment

Santos Ltd. faces a new delay developing the Barossa gas project off northern Australia after a regulator ordered it to evaluate environmental risks to underwater indigenous cultural heritage before starting pipeline construction.

EPA Ups Ante on Pipeline Methane Emissions

(P&GJ) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has once again proposed to tighten the vise on interstate pipeline methane emissions. EPA’s supplemental Clean Air regulatory proposal in November 2022 doubles down on a never-finalized proposed rule issued in November 2021, which the transmission industry slammed for unrealistic emission controls on wet seal compressors, pneumatic controllers and rod packing and other equipment.

APGA Perspective: Policymakers Need to Incentivize Natural Gas Innovations

(P&GJ) — Energy security, affordability and efficiency remain top-of-mind for American consumers. As such, the role of natural gas in our country’s future energy mix has sparked continuous debate among voters and policymakers.

U.S. Department of Energy Rejects Initial Bids to Resupply Oil Stockpile

The U.S. Department of Energy has rejected the first batch of bids from oil companies to resupply a small amount of oil to the nation’s emergency crude oil stockpile in February, according to a DOE spokesperson.

Environmental Groups Sue to Stop Texas Gulf Coast Export Facility, Pipeline Project

Environmental groups have sued the US to overturn the approval of the SPOT oil-export facility and related pipeline project off the Texas Gulf Coast. The terminal will be able to load two supertankers at a time and export 2 MMbbls of crude oil per day.

Mexico's Pemex Destroyed Resources Worth $342 Million from Two Top Gas Fields

Mexican state oil company Pemex illegally burnt off hydrocarbon resources worth more than $342 million in the three years up to August 2022 at two of its most important new fields, internal documents from the country's oil regulator showed.

Chinese Oil Major CNOOC Wins Ruling Against Canada's Pembina Pipeline

Canada's Pembina Pipeline Corp. unjustly discriminated against Chinese oil major CNOOC Ltd. by refusing access to storage facilities in Edmonton, Alberta, the Canada Energy Regulator has ruled. The Edmonton terminal is part of the TransMountain pipeline system and is fed by 20 feeder pipelines coming from different parts of Alberta.

Tennessee Community Pushes Against Kinder Morgan’s 32-Mile Cumberland Pipeline Project

(P&GJ) — Residents in Dickson County, Tennessee, are hesitant to welcome Kinder Morgan’s 32-mile-long Cumberland gas pipeline project in the community, citing concerns over living within the pipeline's "explosion zone," a fear sparked by a 1996 explosion in a neighboring town.

UK Court Rules $1.15 Billion Funding for Mozambique LNG Project is Lawful

The British government's funding of up to $1.15 billion for an LNG project in Mozambique is lawful, a London court ruled on Friday, dismissing an appeal by Friends of the Earth.

NATO, EU Launching Task Force to Protect Pipelines Following Nord Stream Attack

NATO and the EU are launching a task force to boost the protection of critical infrastructure in response to last year's attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and Russia's "weaponizing of energy," the organizations’ leaders said on Wednesday.

API Unveils Plan to Prioritize US Natural Gas, Northeast Pipeline Development

(P&GJ) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers has released a new report and outlined the policies needed to make, move and improve American energy and prioritize U.S. natural gas and oil as a long-term strategic asset.

German Green Group Files Complaint Seeking Shorter LNG Terminal License

A German environmental group has lodged a complaint calling for the operating license of a new floating LNG terminal at Wilhelmshaven to be shortened by a decade, citing its discharging of chlorine and risks to Germany's climate targets.