Andrew joined NGI in 2018 to support coverage of Mexico’s newly liberalized oil and gas sector, and his role has since expanded to include the rest of North America. Before joining NGI, Andrew covered Latin America’s hydrocarbon and electric power industries from 2014 to 2018 for Business News Americas in Santiago, Chile. He speaks fluent Spanish, and holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communications from the University of Minnesota.
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Articles from Andrew Baker
Bakken Challenged by Labor Shortages, while Federal Auction Set for June
The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to hold a lease sale on June 28 for 23 federally owned parcels spanning nearly 3,406 acres in Montana and North Dakota. The sale notice issued by BLM’s Montana/Dakotas state office is part of a larger plan announced at the federal level to…
April 22, 2022
Kinder Morgan Eyeing 1.2 Bcf/d in Permian Natural Gas Takeaway Expansions
Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) is planning compression expansions on its Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP) and Gulf Coast Express (GCX) natural gas pipelines in order to alleviate takeaway constraints in the Permian Basin expected to mount by 2023. “Combined, the two expansions can add 1.2 Bcf per day of capacity out of the Permian,” CEO Steven…
April 21, 2022
Oil, Natural Gas Industry Warns of Permitting Delays as Biden Restores Trump’s NEPA Repeal
The White House on Tuesday restored three core elements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that had been rolled back under the Trump administration, heralding tighter environmental scrutiny for energy projects during the federal review process. “The specific changes made by today’s ‘Phase 1’ rule restore longstanding provisions that were modified for the first…
April 19, 2022
Mexico’s State-First Power Sector Overhaul Comes Up Short in Congress
A constitutional overhaul of Mexico’s electric power sector failed to garner the supermajority of votes needed to pass the lower house on Sunday. The proposal advocated by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sought to consolidate the market power of state-owned Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). Prominent business groups praised legislators for halting the proposal, which…
April 18, 2022
SilverBow to Acquire Two Independent Eagle Ford Shale Operators
SilverBow Resources Inc. agreed to acquire Sundance Energy Inc. and key assets of SandPoint Operating LLC, a pair of Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas independents, for up to $440 million in total. Houston-based SilverBow, an Eagle Ford pure-play, said Friday it would pay $354 million – plus up to $15 million of contingent payments…
April 18, 2022
‘Too Many Constraints’ to Rapidly Boost Lower 48 Oil, Natural Gas Production, Experts Say
Lower 48 oil and natural gas production is on the rise, particularly in the Permian Basin, but shortages of labor, materials and equipment will prevent a rapid supply response to current market tightness, according to experts. The Biden administration has called on U.S. producers to ramp up supply in order to lower gasoline prices and…
April 18, 2022
Inflation, Scarce Labor Among Challenges Facing Midcontinent, Rockies Producers
Oil and natural gas producers in the Midcontinent and Rockies are generally bullish on commodity prices but face challenges including labor scarcity, supply chain issues and drilling cost inflation, according to the latest Tenth District Energy Survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The Kansas City Fed, as it is better known, conducts…
April 13, 2022
Roles for Natural Gas, Carbon Capture Seen in 1.5-C Warming Scenario
Natural gas should play a reduced, yet still significant, role in the global energy mix even if anthropogenic global warming is limited to 1.5 C degrees, according to the latest modeling by the United Nations (UN) climate change panel. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) analyzed scenarios in the latest report, which indicate…
April 12, 2022
Supreme Court Deems Mexico Power Reform Constitutional, but ‘Endless Litigation’ Feared Ahead
Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled last Thursday that key components of legislation passed in 2021 to overhaul the country’s electric industry law (known by its Spanish initials LIE) do not violate the constitution. The decision is a victory of sorts for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, although the law still faces numerous challenges in lower courts.…
April 11, 2022
Colorado State Meteorologists Calling for Above-Average Hurricane Season
Colorado State University (CSU) meteorologists are forecasting an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic basin this season, citing the unlikelihood of a significant El Niño weather pattern. “We anticipate an above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean,” said CSU forecasters Philip Klotzbach and Michael Bell.…
April 11, 2022