U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 4 directing federal agencies to use emergency powers to expedite infrastructure projects to facilitate recovery from the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19. The order allows agencies to consult with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to identify “alternative arrangements” for complying with the requirements…...
Canada is the second-biggest destination for U.S. energy exports, next only to Mexico, and the main source of U.S. energy imports, according to a June 5 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2019, energy accounted for $85 billion, or 27 percent, of the trade value for U.S. imports from Canada; crude oil and…...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 1 issued a final rule specifying the timeframe for states to review water quality requirements for infrastructure projects under a section of the Clean Water Act. The rule requires states or authorized tribes to take final action within one year of a certification request. The agency also clarified…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 5 announced it will convene a technical conference next month to consider the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on various segments on the U.S. energy industry. The agency will analyse the potential longer-term impacts on regulated entities to ensure efficient functioning of energy markets, power transmission, oil…...
U.S. natural gas consumption is expected to fall by 3.4 billion cubic feet per day led by a decline in industrial consumption, according to a May 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency attributed the decrease to the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to milder temperatures in the first…...
U.S. active crude oil and natural gas rigs dropped to their lowest number in over three decades, according to a May 20 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The number of rigs declined sharply to 339 on May 12, a 56 percent decline since March 17, due to an unprecedented drop in petroleum demand…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on May 21 authorized the Alaska LNG Project, which includes an 800-mile pipeline and a liquefied natural gas export facility. The $40-$45 billion project, developed by Alaska Gasline Development Corp. in partnership with BP and ExxonMobil, is expected to be the largest in the U.S. Democratic Commissioner Richard Glick dissented…...
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on May 14 issued a final rule to update regulations for oil and gas operations in the central and western Gulf of Mexico and the area off the North Slope Borough of Alaska. The changes do not relax any air pollution standards, but make technical and…...
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on May 15 denied a water quality permit for Williams Co.’s Northeast Supply Enhancement Project. The $1 billion project is designed to provide about 400,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas capacity to National Grid. The department determined that the project would not meet the state’s rigorous…...
National Grid released a report on May 8 supplementing its long-term capacity analysis issued earlier this year on natural gas capacity constraints in Downstate New York and available options for meeting long-term demand. The supplemental report incorporates feedback received from six public meetings, as well as the changing conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The…...
Dominion Energy Inc. on May 1 filed its 2020 integrated resource plan with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, reflecting the targets of the Clean Economy Act, which requires the company to produce its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045. Under the proposal, the company proposes to add 6.7 to 18.8 gigawatts of solar over the…...
Utility commissions in almost a dozen jurisdictions have canceled hearings and revised procedural schedules in several pending electric and natural gas rate cases. A few utilities have committed to delay the implementation of rates, in order to avoid burdening customers amid the difficult circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
