The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement on Sept. 14 proposed new and revised safety rules and standards for oil and gas operations at the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. This proposal is in the extension of the 2019 Well Control Rule and mainly focuses on well integrity and…...
The California Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 15 announced the removal of subsidies for new natural gas connections, a first-in-the-nation move to accelerate the decarbonization of the state’s buildings. This decision, which eliminates the subsidies effective on July 1, 2023, is expected to lower utility bills, saving consumers about $164 million per year by accelerating…...
Utility resource plans continue to manifest the changing power generation mix as more states pursue zero-carbon goals. The shift drives the need for innovative policy initiatives that optimize renewable energy sources and enhance grid reliability.
The U.S. has the largest liquefied natural gas export capacity in the world and emerged as the top exporter as of July 2022, according to a Sep. 6 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. LNG exports averaged 11.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) during the first half of 2022, up by 12…...
The Texas Railroad Commission on Aug. 30 adopted a weatherization rule for natural gas facilities to ensure gas supply to power plants and avoid electricity disruption during weather events. The rule establishes Weather Emergency Preparedness Standards pursuant to Senate Bill 3 enacted in 2021 in response to Winter Storm Uri that affected the south-central U.S.,…...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Aug. 30 ruled two oil leases – lease sales 250 and 251 – conducted by the Interior Department during the Trump administration in the Gulf of Mexico were unlawful. In 2020, a federal district court declared that the sales were valid, and environmental groups…...
A Louisiana federal judge on Aug. 18 issued a permanent injunction preventing the Biden administration from blocking oil and gas leasing on federal lands in 13 states, a day after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit lifted an earlier injunction against the administration’s pause on leasing. Judge Terry Doughty of the Louisiana…...
Natural gas pipeline exports from West Texas to Mexico were documented to be at record levels at 1.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) during May 2022, according to an Aug. 18 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The administration also reported U.S. gas pipeline exports to average 1.4 bcf/d for the period Jan-May…...