The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on June 17 published complete details of their $234 million impact fees spendings in 2021 on natural gas producers. Till date, the commission has distributed $2.2 billion impact fees to Pennsylvania communities including this year’s distribution. The impact fee, also known as unconventional gas well fee, is paid by all…...
Several states that have ambitious clean energy and emissions reduction mandates are investigating the role of natural gas in the shift to a low-carbon power system. Actions at the federal level, spurred by the Biden administration’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, are also catalyzing efforts to decarbonize the gas system.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on March 8 that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil and gas and energy, “targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy.” This is latest action taken by the Biden administration in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began nearly two weeks ago. Biden noted that the effort…...
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has roiled global markets, causing oil prices to soar at a time when the world is recovering from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conflict, entangled with the global energy crisis, has been met with heavy economic sanctions from the U.S. and most European countries. Companies across the oil and gas value chain have also announced plans to abandon investments in Russia.
A group of 18 U.S. Senators on March 3 introduced legislation called the “Ban Russian Energy Imports Act” aimed to prohibit the import of Russian crude oil, petroleum, petroleum production, liquified natural gas and coal, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bill would declare a national emergency with respect to Russian aggression and at once…...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met with heavy economic sanctions from the U.S. and most European countries, while companies across the oil and gas value chain have announced plans to abandon investments in Russia. The Railroad Commission of Texas has also shown its support to encourage oil and gas companies to discontinue business associations…...
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Nov. 15 issued a final rule expanding federal safety oversight to onshore gas gathering pipelines, representing over 425,000 additional miles of pipelines that will be subject to federal reporting guidelines. Gathering lines typically transport gas from the production site to interstate transmission pipelines. The agency expects that…...
Washington is moving expeditiously to implement rules and strategies as the state seeks to achieve carbon-free electricity by 2045 and reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. The state is advancing multiple measures ranging from resource planning rules to establishing a carbon cap-and-trade program, and strengthening auto-emission standards.
Texas state lawmakers are exploring solutions to address the issues faced during and after the mid-February winter storm event that caused widespread outages across the state. California, which faced a similar predicament due to an unprecedented heatwave in August 2020, albeit smaller in scale and severity, has advanced measures to ensure reliability this summer.
Ongoing state initiatives to transition to a low-carbon future and new actions from the federal level are impacting natural gas utilities’ long-term planning strategies. The challenge for utilities is to adapt to the changing policy landscape, evolving in ways that contribute to decarbonization.
The U.S. Energy Department on Dec. 10 announced the extension of the terms of seven long-term liquefied natural gas export projects through 2050. This marks the third set of extensions since the agency issued a policy statement in July establishing the extension, changing the prior practice of granting 20-year terms. The department extended the terms…...