The Chinese government introduced a subsidy program establishing new incentives for domestic production of natural gas from tight formations and extending existing subsidies for extraction from shale and coalbed methane resources, according to an Oct. 23 report from the U.S. Energy Information administration. The program, introduced in June, is scheduled to be in effect through…
The California Public Utilities Commission issued a proposed decision on Oct. 21, requiring load-serving entities to procure 4 gigawatts of additional capacity to forestall potential resource adequacy shortages starting in 2021. The order also recommends extension of the Water Resource Control Board’s once-through-cooling regulation compliance dates for about 3.7 gigawatts of gas-fired units slated to…
Natural gas flows out of the Northeast region into the rest of the United States averaged more than 16 billion cubic feet per day during September, between 1 and 2 billion cubic feet per day more than in previous months, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s October 15 Today in Energy. The movement of natural…
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced that National Grid is being directed to immediately connect more than 1,000 customers that were previously denied service following supply constraints, according to an October 11 press release. The company is currently under investigation and facing millions of dollars in penalties for failing to connect existing residential customers…
The Michigan Public Service Commission is proposing to amend rules governing the technical standards for gas service for utilities under the Commission’s jurisdiction, including cybersecurity measures, according to an Oct. 17 press release. The proposed rules reflect new technologies in the area of metering, equipment inspections and tests as well as removing references to obsolete…
U.S. House Representative James McGovern, a Democrat representing Massachusetts, introduced legislation on Oct. 11 that would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider greenhouse gas emissions when reviewing natural gas pipeline projects. Recent FERC approvals of pipeline projects have drawn attention to the commission’s divided approach to assess greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the need…
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced his resignation on Oct. 17 amid a Democratic-led impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s actions to pressure the Ukraine government to investigate his political opponent Joe Biden. The Energy Department wrote to House Committees that it would not comply with a subpoena demanding Ukraine-related documents, arguing that the House…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Oct. 11 issued a stay of permits issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Mountain Valley Gas pipeline. The order comes on the heels of the company’s agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia to pay over $2 million in penalty and submit…
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued a draft environmental impact statement for Wisconsin Electric Power Company-Gas Operations’ Lakeshore Lateral natural gas line, according to the Oct. 4 filling. The draft report identified impacts and minor route adjustments, with recommendations available in the final report. The new natural gas transmission would be approximately 46 miles in length,…
The U.S. Department of Energy issued an order to Ferus Natural Gas Fuels, L.P. approving exports of domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its Eagle Jacksonville Project, according to an October 4 press release. Under the order, Eagle LNG will have the authority to export up to 0.14 billion cubic feet per day of…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is scheduled to issue an environmental review for two natural gas compressor projects by February 8, 2020, according to a Sept. 24 press release. Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline LLC’s $145 million Acadiana project and Columbia Gulf Transmission LLC’s $470 million Louisiana Xpress project will have a combined environmental review. The Acadiana project,…
Utility resource planning is becoming more complex in the fast-changing energy landscape, prompting intense scrutiny from regulators. State measures are transforming the way utilities procure energy in light of continued growth in intermittent large-scale energy, customer-sited generation, demand response, energy efficiency, and clean energy commitments.
