The House has passed a bill aimed to expedite federal review of natural gas pipeline permit applications. On November 21, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act (H.R. 1900), a bipartisan legislation aimed to expedite review of licenses, permits, and approvals pertinent to siting, construction, expansion, and operation…
A new House Bill would repeal fossil fuel tax breaks and expand fossil fuel companies’ liability for spills and cleanup tasks. On November 21, 2013, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced the 2013 End Polluter Welfare Act (H.R. 3574) aimed to end fossil fuel subsidies. The bill would close tax loopholes…
A new methanol production facility proposed for Texas will be the largest of its kind in the U.S., spurred by cheap and abundant natural gas availability. On November 21, 2013, OCI N.V., a Dutch fertilizer company, announced plans to build a methanol production facility in Beaumont, Texas. The facility, with an estimated annual capacity of…
The House has approved two energy bills that would expedite permit issuance for drilling on federal lands and prevent duplicative hydraulic fracturing regulations. On November 20, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives approved two bills – Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act (H.R. 1965) and Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act…
President Obama’s Senior Advisors today recommended he veto two new energy bills which respectively seek to block Interior Department regulations on hydraulic fracturing and speed up oil and gas drilling permits. On November 19th, 2013, the White House Administration issued a pair of statements strongly opposing two new energy bills: (1) H.R. 2728 – Protecting…
An EIA report shows that U.S. monthly crude oil production in October 2013 exceeded net imports for the first time in two decades. On November 13, 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its Short Term Energy Outlook, showing that U.S. monthly estimated crude oil production averaged 7.7 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in October,…
IEA’s 2013 World Energy Outlook finds technology is opening new oil resources in the U.S., but the Middle East remains key to the longer-term outlook. The International Energy Agency (IEA) today released its annual World Energy Outlook, indicating that “although rising oil output from North America and Brazil reduces the role of OPEC countries in…
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has announced support for a draft bill aimed to scale back EPA’s proposed emissions rules for new power plants. On November 11, 2013, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote to Congress expressing support for a draft bill that would limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to set greenhouse gas…
API’s guidelines for SEC’s Dodd-Frank disclosure rule intend to protect energy companies’ competitiveness without undermining the rule’s objectives. In its letter, API pointed out SEC’s flexibility in complying with the disclosure mandate, as outlined in the Court ruling, without undermining the statute’s objectives. Specifically, API suggested a compilation model of disclosure, whereby the Dodd-Frank requirements…
DOE has announced new research projects to facilitate efficient and cost-effective application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies in power plants. On November 7, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $84M in funding to advance CCS technologies. The funding, supplemented by cost-share from industry, university, and research organizations, will support 18 projects…
The Northern American Energy Infrastructure Act is a bipartisan bill that creates a new approval process for oil and natural gas pipelines and electric transmission facilities crossing U.S. borders. On October 29th, 2013 the Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (the “Committee”) held a hearing on H.R. 3301, the North…
On September 23, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its 2012 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) rule, which indirectly regulates fugitive methane emissions at the production phase of oil and natural gas development. Overview EPA will use outcome data from the NSPS NESHAP rule to determine…
