The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined a subsidiary of Halliburton Co. $1.8 million for 255 violations of the state’s Solid Waste Management Act between 1999 and 2011. The DEP on Tuesday said Halliburton had waived its right to appeal and signed a consent agreement for the fine against subsidiary Halliburton Energy Services. DEP became aware of the violations in 2011 during an inspection of a Homer City facility in Indiana County, PA. Inspectors discovered that Halliburton had stored, treated and transported hydrochloric acid waste without obtaining proper DEP permits. A further investigation revealed that the company had committed the violation on multiple occasions to 1999. DEP said between 1999 and 2011 Halliburton transported acidic waste that originated at well sites without identifying the waste as “hazardous,” without the proper trucking permits and without using a licensed hazardous waste transporter. Additionally, the company sent the waste to an unauthorized treatment and disposal operation. The DEP said no evidence suggests the waste handling caused any harm to the public or environment.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday denied a rehearing request submitted by Gunpowder Riverkeeper and the Woodstock Residents, who had objected to the Commission’s Nov. 21, 2013 order granting Columbia Gas Transmission authority to construct and operate pipeline facilities in Baltimore and Harford counties in Maryland (see Daily GPI, Nov. 25, 2013). The groups “make no showing that they will be irreparably harmed” by the project, Commissioners said in their order. The Line MB Expansion is part of a system-wide, approximately $2 billion, five-year modernization program designed to improve Columbia’s aging infrastructure. The expansion calls for the phased construction of approximately 21.1 miles of 26-inch diameter pipeline from the current terminus of Columbia’s existing Line MB in Baltimore County to the existing Rutledge Compressor Station in Hartford County and associated facilities. The project, which the company estimates will cost about $132 million, is expected to be placed into service by the end of this year.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.agreed to sell its Chinese subsidiary to a unit of Brightoil Petroleum (Holdings) Ltd. for $1.075 billion worth of stock. The subsidiary being sold owns The Woodlands, TX-based producer’s interests in the Bohai Bay field. In 2013 Anadarko’s net sales volumes from Bohai Bay averaged 11,000 b/d of oil. CEO Al Walker said the sale demonstrated a commitment to “active portfolio management.” The sale should close by the end of 2014.

The Federal Railroad Administration said it could take months to investigate the cause of a Norfolk-Southern Corp. (NS) crude-by-rail incident on Thursday morning after 21 of 120 cars derailed near Vandergrift, PA (see Shale Daily, Feb. 13). NS said at least 3,500 gallons of crude oil spilled from a tanker car. No injuries were reported, but 35 people were evacuated from MSI Corp., a specialty metals firm that was hit by one of the cars. NS, which is conducting an internal investigation, said the spill was contained to a parking lot and didn’t enter storm drains or nearby waterways.

STW Resources Holding Corp. (STW) said one of its subsidiaries has completed building two pipeline projects to serve producers in the Permian Basin and has been awarded a contract to complete a third pipeline now under construction. CEO Stanley Weiner told NGI on Wednesday that the two gas pipelines completed by subsidiary STW Pipeline Maintenance & Construction were five and eight miles in length and in the Midland area of West Texas. One of the pipelines measured eight-to-12 inches in diameter while the other was a 16-inch diameter pipe. Weiner said the third pipeline was also eight miles in length and also in West Texas. On Tuesday, STW said the subsidiary had been “awarded a third contract for a multi-mile pipeline, which presently is under construction and is in various stages [of] the bidding process for additional projects.”