Members of the House Space, Science and Technology Committee discussed Bakken crude oil properties during a subcommittee hearing held as part of the effort to craft new rail tank car regulations. “None of these other oils are shipping in volumes that this Bakken shale oil is being shipped,” he [Timothy Butters, deputy administrator for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration] said. “The important thing is that we understand the product that’s being transported, its flammability, its hazardous properties to make sure it’s put in the right container so it’s safely transported.” [Roll Call]

Most of the headline-generating cases of security breaches at energy companies come from cyber attacks and external threats, but data theft and other crimes are equally perpetrated by employees which makes them more difficult to defend. “While companies continue to focus time and effort on combating external threats, insiders are able to see, steal, manipulate or share the company’s highly valued data. Additionally, external attackers often attempt to, and succeed, at taking on the identity of an authorized user in order to conceal their attack. This allows attackers to minimize the likelihood of being detected and prolong exfiltration of information from the corporate environment. Although less publicized, these threats are more common and equally as damaging to a company as an external threat.” [Ernst & Young]

Yesterday the Cameron and Carib LNG export projects were granted DOE approval to export US natural gas to non-free trade agreement countries. The announcement brings the total number of approved projects to 3, with Cheniere’s Sabine Pass being the third. “The Cameron LNG Terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 1.7 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years. Carib is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 0.04 Bcf/d of natural gas for a period of 20 years from the proposed liquefaction facility in Martin County, Florida using approved ISO LNG containers. Following the recent announcement of the procedural change, the Department evaluated the Carib and Cameron applications after they completed the environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).” [DOE]