Ongoing fallout from the catastrophic failure at the Southern California Gas Company’s Aliso Canyon storage facility is exposing a critical weakness in the state’s energy system. Overdependence on natural gas – and on one provider of that gas – means we don’t have the flexibility we need to cope if things go wrong. And now… Keep reading →
Federal regulators recently rejected an application to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on the coast of Oregon after three years in regulatory limbo – a project that had received “unflagging support” from editorial boards, variously hailed as an “economic game-changer for Coos Bay” that offered “a way to tamp down Russia’s influence in Europe.”
A new court decision could stunt exploitation of offshore gas reserves, open the possibility of a heavy punitive arbitration award, and hamper foreign investment in Israel. On March 27, the Israeli High Court passed a judgement condemning a key aspect of the government’s planned “framework” deal with energy companies hoping to tap the country’s largest… Keep reading →
While natural gas pipeline expansion remains a critical part of building today’s U.S. infrastructure, it would appear that the announcement of numerous pipeline projects has calmed the anxiety of the industry, as attention is now focused on securing regulatory approvals for the proposed projects. According to the 2015 Black & Veatch Strategic Directions: U.S. Natural… Keep reading →
As natural gas providers deal with the combination of aging infrastructure and safety, one of the most important factors emerging is the vital role of reliable data and recordkeeping as a means of preserving system resiliency. Recordkeeping is a key issue in measuring a pipeline infrastructure’s life cycles and managing associated risks, according to Jeff… Keep reading →
The vast majority of natural gas local distribution companies (LDCs) are optimistic about the industry’s growth prospects between now and 2020. This confidence is displayed in their expansion activities across the United States – 42 percent of LDC survey respondents said their company had an active expansion program that had either received regulatory approval, is… Keep reading →
In the race to reduce carbon footprints and replace coal as a primary energy source, much has been made of an alleged “battle” between natural gas and renewables in the power generation industry. However, an astute market read — fueled by actions from utilities and regulatory agencies – may find the two sectors growing in… Keep reading →
On January 15, 2016, the California Department of Conservation (DOC) issued a notice of intent to propose emergency natural gas storage regulations in response to Governor Brown’s emergency proclamation to address the ongoing natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility in Los Angeles County. The leak, detected in October 2015, is… Keep reading →
The ongoing leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas facility owned by Southern California Gas has driven more than 2,000 families from their homes in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles and prompted Gov. Brown to declare a state of emergency. It’s dumped an estimated 83 thousand metric tons of methane into the atmosphere… Keep reading →
Oil prices tumbled below $30 a barrel on Friday, with daily losses rivaling their biggest of the winter as flailing Chinese markets and the soon-coming increase of Iranian exports adds to concerns that the global glut will linger. [WSJ] The ongoing methane leak from an underground reservoir run by SoCalGas has spurred a new search… Keep reading →
