Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.‘s recently filed Susquehanna West Project would add about eight miles of pipeline looping and compression in order to provide shipper Statoil with 145,000 Dth/d of firm capacity to serve Northeast markets. The Pennsylvania project, which was filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier in April [CP15-148], would create additional east-to-west capacity on Tennessee’s 300 Line from the Shoemaker Dehy receipt meter in Susquehanna County to the Rose Lake delivery meter in Potter County. The capacity would serve an existing downstream contract on the National Fuel Gas Supply Northern Access Project (see Shale Daily, March 3).

Kinder Morgan Inc.‘s Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America LLC (NGPL) has made binding agreements with Antero Resources, Nicor Gas, North Shore Gas and Occidental Energy Marketing Inc. for incremental firm transportation service on its Gulf Coast mainline system from the Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) interconnection in Moultrie County, IL, to points north on the NGPL system. The commitments support the first phase of NGPL’s Chicago Market Expansion, which would increase capacity by 238,000 Dth/d and provide service to markets near Chicago (see Daily GPI, Oct. 16, 2014). The contracts are for an average term of more than 11 years. “This phase of the expansion project meets the current natural gas transportation needs of the Chicago-area markets and Northeast producers by providing competitive rates from the expanded REX interconnection to the Chicago area,” said NGPL President David Devine. “We continue to have the ability to provide additional capacity northbound, as well as southbound to Gulf Coast markets, with further cost-effective expansions.” NGPL intends to file a 7(c) certificate application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in June, with the project expected to be in service in November 2016. For information contact Mark Menis, director of business development, at cmep@kindermorgan.com, or (630) 725-3052, or visit www.kindermorgan.com.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has launched a public comment period through May 4 on an updated integrated resource plan (IRP) by MDU Resources Inc.‘s Intermountain Gas Co., which is projecting an increased demand growth rate of 2.32% annually over the next five years (see Daily GPI, July 23, 2013). Intermountain said it does not anticipate any peak-day delivery deficits during the next five years for its nearly one million customers that it serves in southern Idaho. Intermountain receives its supplies from Northwest Pipeline Co.

No natural gas was released at an Arlington, TX, well site on Saturday, when flowback of pressurized water during hydraulic fracturing occurred, city authorities said. A voluntary evacuation of area residents was enacted and, by Sunday afternoon, crews from well control company Boots & Coots had theVantage Energy-operated well under control. The incident happened at the Lake Arlington Baptist Church site on Little Road. “This was a very serious situation,” said Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson. “To get this incident under control, we worked closely with all city departments, Vantage Energy, Arlington Independent School District, the Red Cross and our faith-based organizations.” Arlington is near Dallas-Fort Worth, in the Barnett Shale play.

Sempra Energy‘sCameron LNG LLC has received U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval to export up to 152 Bcf per year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to free trade agreement (FTA) countries from a planned export terminal in Cameron Parish, LA [14-204-LNG]. This is in addition to an FTA approval to export 620 Bcf per year that was granted in 2012. Additionally, Cameron holds authorization to export 620 Bcf per year to non-FTA countries. This authorization, which was granted last September, is not additive to the FTA volumes. The Cameron project is among the first movers to seek to export LNG from the Lower 48 and is under construction (see Daily GPI, April 7).

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) has found no evidence of drinking water contamination after it tested samples from several wells in Trumbull County, where five injection wells were thought to be the source of an oil waste spill earlier in the month. OEPA said it tested for inorganic compounds, volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds and found no impact on private water systems. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ordered five injection wells, operated by Kleese Development Associates, to shut down so it could determine the source of a spill that contaminated a nearby pond and killed wildlife (see Shale Daily, April 9). Although the wells remain shut-down and the investigation is ongoing, state regulators recently told NGI’s Shale Daily that they now believe a salvage yard near the injection wells was the source of the oil waste.

Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) has launched an online interactive map of pipeline incidents that covers events occurring since 2008. The Pipeline Incident Map includes customizable filters and incident details including location, company and volumes. Updates to the map will occur quarterly, with the next update scheduled to take place in July. As incident investigations are completed or new information becomes available, records are updated and will be reflected on the online map. The map can be accessed at www.neb-one.gc.ca/sftnvrnmnt/sft/dshbrd/mp/index-eng.html. The NEB is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada’s energy industry.

Boston-based private equity firm Old Ironsides Energy LLC has made an undisclosed equity investment in Fort Worth startup Brazos Midstream Holdings LLC, to acquire and develop midstream assets in the U.S. The Brazos management team possesses both upstream and midstream experience, according to the company. CEO Brad Iles previously was senior vice president of Business Development for EnLink Midstream Partners, while CFO William Butler was CFO at independent producer Athlon Energy Inc. Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Luskey previously was responsible for Permian Basin business development at EnLink, and COO Ryan Jaggi was vice president of Engineering at Wildcat Midstream.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has voted unanimously to investigate a proposed $46.2 million rate increase requested by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania. Last month, the utility requested a rate increase of 4-9% for its commercial, residential and industrial customers to help it fund $186 million in infrastructure and safety upgrades (see Daily GPI, March 24). Columbia provides natural gas service to 415,000 customers in 26 counties in the state. The PUC said it would assign the investigation to its Office of Administrative Law Judge. That means the proposal is suspended until at least Dec. 18.