California Senate and Assembly passed a bill that would impose the state’s first hydraulic fracturing regulations, facilitating oil and gas development in the Monterey Shale play. On September 11, 2013, Senate Bill 4, a bill that would impose the state’s first regulations on hydraulic fracturing and other oil field practices, cleared the state Assembly by a…...
Freeport LNG has entered into long-term natural gas liquefaction tolling agreements with two Asian companies. On September 9, 2013, Freeport LNG Expansion LP announced that it has signed agreements with two Asian companies to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its proposed natural gas liquefaction and loading facility at Quintana Island, Texas. The two separate…...
On September 30, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a major challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s implementation of greenhouse gas regulations under Section 202 of the Clean Air Act, a hearing that could affect President Obama’s timetable for existing power plants and state implementation plans. The EPA will likely face ongoing litigation on most…...
The Department of Interior announced new efforts during the end of August to collaborate with both the Department of Energy and Department of Transportation to enhance oversight of offshore drilling safety and to update regulations overseeing production safety. Overview The Agency’s efforts will support technological improvements, research and development in offshore operations, data collection on…...
NY Court of Appeals will decide whether state municipalities can use local zoning laws to ban hydraulic fracturing. On August 29, 2013, the Albany Court of Appeals announced its decision to consider two lawsuits challenging the authority of New York (NY) State municipalities to enact local zoning laws to ban oil and gas development using…...
The overwhelming number of public comments to the recent Department of Interior (DOI) hydraulic fracturing rule is an indication of the increased role regulatory policy – and the rulemaking process – is playing in environmental policy during the second term. Overview A large number of industry representatives opposed the rule during the public comment period,…...
The overwhelming number of public comments to the recent Department of Interior (DOI) hydraulic fracturing rule is an indication of the increased role regulatory policy – and the rulemaking process – is playing in environmental policy during the second term. A large number of industry representatives opposed the rule during the public comment period, emphasizing…...
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has proposed stricter standards for offshore oil and gas production systems to keep pace with evolving technologies. On August 21, 2013, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposed a rule to strengthen offshore oil and gas production systems in order to keep pace with industry advancements that…...
EIA data shows 40 percent growth in oil and gas industry employment from 2007 through 2012, compared to one percent growth in total private sector employment. On August 8, 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report comparing job growth in the oil and gas industry with total private sector employment growth, drawing on…...
Lake Charles Exports, LLC becomes the third facility to obtain DOE authorization to export U.S. LNG to non-FTA countries. On August 7, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced conditional authorization of Lake Charles Exports (LCE), a jointly-owned subsidiary of BG Group and Southern Union Company, to export U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-free…...
EPA’s revised 2012 VOC emissions standards for oil and natural gas storage tanks provides phased-in emission control deadlines, addressing higher-emitting tanks first and providing sufficient time to install controls. On August 5, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released final revisions to its 2012 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions…...
The House Natural Resources Committee has advanced a bill aimed to protect states’ rights in regulating hydraulic fracturing and prevent duplicative federal regulations. On July 31, 2013, the House Natural Resources Committee approved the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act (H.R. 2728) aimed to prevent duplicative federal and state hydraulic fracturing regulations…....