Williams’ Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) has asked FERC for authorization to bring into service its Gulf Connector Expansion Project by Jan. 1, 2019. In its original filing, Transco had sought to bring the project online in two phases, with the initial 75,000 Dth/d serving Osaka Gas Trading and Export LLC and the remaining 400,000 Dth/d serving Cheniere Energy Corp. to supply its Corpus Christi liquefied natural gas facility. Transco also asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a certificate amendment to reflect an increase of approximately $20.1 million in project costs as well as a revised recourse rate.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed two bills into law to block new federal offshore oil drilling along the state’s 1,000-mile coastline, and issued a warning that the state will resist any efforts by the Trump administration to expand oil and gas drilling onshore on federal lands. The state laws are aimed at blocking any federal plans to expand offshore oil drilling by prohibiting new construction of oil and gas-related infrastructure within state waters if federal leases are authorized.

A panel of the New York Mercantile Exchange‘s (Nymex) Business Conduct Committee has levied a $100,000 fine against Enterprise Product Partners LP (EPD), finding that from March-December 2016, employees entered into multiple wash trades in futures contract markets for natural gas futures, crude oil futures, heating oil futures and reformulated blendstock for oxygenate blending, i.e. RBOB. The panel also found that EPD failed to provide guidance to employees on Nymex rules on wash trades, and failed to supervise employee access to CME Globex. Under the settlement, EPD neither admitted nor denied the allegations.