Regulation
Gas Gathering Pipeline Rules: A New Beginning
The need to regulate the more than 425,000 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines throughout the United States for the first time stems from more than governmental fiat. It is tied to the transformation of the energy industry in the 21st century and the pipelines that supply increasingly complex markets.
Canada's Trudeau: 'Very Difficult Decision' to Return Turbine for Russian Pipeline
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that it was a "very difficult decision" to grant an exemption from sanctions imposed on Russia for the return of a repaired turbine needed for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.
Glick Renomination, Policies Become Converging Controversies
Some key decisions about federal pipeline regulation are coming to a head as the comment period for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) two draft policy statements closed and the Senate decides whether to renew Richard Glick’s chairmanship at FERC.
Trans-Foreland Pipeline Seeks Extension for Alaska LNG Import Project
Marathon Petroleum Corp.'s Trans-Foreland Pipeline Co. unit said it has yet to make a final investment decision to build the project because the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have worsened economic and logistical conditions.
How Operators Can Respond to PHMSA Gas Gathering Reporting Rule
A new gas gathering rule, issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), expands safety oversight to all onshore gas-gathering pipelines, with the intent to make all processes associated with pipelines safer.
Environmental Groups Attempt to Slow LNG Exports to Europe
Despite Biden’s commitment to get more U.S. LNG to Europe, environmental groups are trying to convince FERC to slow or kill export LNG facilities and pipelines that serve them on mostly environmental grounds.
Michigan Regulators Request More Information on Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline Tunnel Project
State of Michigan regulators on Thursday ordered Canada's Enbridge Inc. to file additional information on safety and engineering for its proposed Line 5 oil pipeline tunnel, describing Enbridge's current application as "deficient."
Cheniere Asks Biden Administration for Exemption from Pollution Rule
Cheniere Energy Inc. has asked the Biden administration to exempt it from a pollution rule under the U.S. Clean Air Act, arguing the limits would force the LNG exporter to shut for an extended period and endanger the country's efforts to ramp up supplies to Europe.
FERC Suspends Schedule for Venture Global’s Gas Plant, Pipeline Project in Louisiana
The U.S. energy regulator has suspended the environmental review schedule for Venture Global LNG's proposed CP2 LNG export plant and pipeline in Louisiana.
Kinder Morgan Gets FERC Approval to Offer Certified Gas Pooling on TGP System
Kinder Morgan subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC (TGP) has received approval from FERC to offer producer certified gas, or responsibly sourced gas, aggregation pooling service across the 11,760-mile pipeline system.
Supreme Court Limits EPA’s Authority to Regulate Carbon Emissions
In a highly anticipated but not unexpected 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2022, that the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority under the Clean Air Act.
PHMSA Blocks Restart of Freeport LNG Plant Citing Unsafe Conditions
U.S. pipeline safety regulator PHMSA on Thursday said it found unsafe conditions at a Texas liquefied natural gas export facility and will not allow owner Freeport LNG to restart the plant until an outside analysis is complete.
Texas RRC Approves Rule to Ready Natural Gas Industry for Weather Emergencies
The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), which oversees the state's oil and natural gas industries, approved a proposed weatherization rule to help protect Texans during emergencies that could occur any time of the year.
Demand for US Exports to Drive More Natural Gas Production
The reference case in the U.S. Energy Information Association’s (EIA’s) Annual Energy Outlook (AEO2022) projects U.S. natural gas production to continue to increase through 2050. The reference case is the baseline in AEO2022, and it projects energy trends based on current laws, regulations, and market conditions.
API Unveils Ten-Point Policy Plan to Restore US Energy Leadership, Fuel Economic Recovery
The American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday released a “10 in 2022 plan”—10 policies that policymakers can advance today to unlock American energy, fuel economic recovery, and strengthen national security.
Cheniere Gets OK to Place Sabine LNG Tank Back in Service
U.S. LNG company Cheniere Energy Inc. received permission from federal regulators on Wednesday to return one of two shut storage tanks to service at its Sabine Pass LNG export plant in Louisiana following a leak in 2018.
Texas RRC Commissioners Assess Unusually Heavy Amount of Enforcement Fines
The Railroad Commission of Texas assessed $1,008,396 in fines with pipeline operators and excavators ticketed $476,200 for violations of the Commission’s Pipeline Damage Prevention rules, the Commission said on Wednesday.
DOE Launches $8 Billion Program for Clean Hydrogen Hubs across US
The U.S. Department of Energy filed a notice of intent to fund the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $8 billion program to develop regional clean hydrogen hubs – H2Hubs – across America, the DOE said in a press release on Monday.
NWP 12 Up for Review Again
The Army Corps of Engineers is undertaking a review of Nationwide Permit 12 (NWP 12), which allows gas and oil pipelines to avoid a lengthy, expensive environmental review when building facilities near wetlands.
PHMSA Finalizes New Remote Valve Requirements
After more than a decade of considering whether pipelines should install automatic shut-off valves (ASVs), the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a final rule; however, it fell short of what the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wanted.
Iran Seizes Two Greek Tankers amid Row over US Oil Grab
Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf on Friday, shortly after Tehran warned it would take "punitive action" against Athens over the confiscation of Iranian oil by the U.S. from a tanker held off the Greek coast.
Denmark's Orsted Warns of Russian Gas Supply Halt After Spurning Ruble Payments
Orsted on Monday warned that Russia's Gazprom Export could stop supplying gas to the Danish energy company because it has refused to pay in rubles, but such a move would not immediately put Denmark's gas supplies at risk.
How to Choose a Regulator in Five Steps
Pressure regulators play a crucial role in many industrial fluid and instrumentation systems, helping to maintain or control desired pressure and flow in response to system changes.
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.
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.
- PG&E Reduces Emissions from Gas Pipelines by More Than 20%
- Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project to Nearly Triple Current Capacity to 890,000 bpd
- Spain's Tecnicas Reunidas, FCC to Build LNG Terminal Worth $1.1 Billion in Germany
- Canada Offers $26 Billion Green Tax Credits But Still Trails Behind US Incentives
- Pipeline Operator TC Energy Says Keystone Oil Spill Caused by Fatigue Crack
- Pipeline Operator TC Energy Says Keystone Oil Spill Caused by Fatigue Crack
- Permian In Spotlight as Energy Dealmaking Gathers Steam
- Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project to Nearly Triple Current Capacity to 890,000 bpd
- Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas Pipeline Attacked for Ninth Time in 2023
- Chad Nationalizes Exxon’s 621-Mile Pipeline as Dispute Over Asset Sale Escalates
