Richard Nemec began writing for NGI in 1995 and has 30 years experience in the energy industry. He holds BA from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and a MA in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; and completed MBA courses at Northwestern's Evening Graduate School of Management.
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Articles from Rich Nemec
Edison Disputes California Regulators on Cost Recovery for Climate and Wildfire Mitigation Work
Edison International (EI) CEO Pablo Pizarro last Thursday (July 29) previewed what could be a prolonged fight with California regulators over recovery of costs by utilities for supporting statewide efforts to curb the impacts of wildfires and climate change. During a 2Q2021 earnings conference call, Pizarro made it clear that EI utility subsidiary Southern California…
August 8, 2021
MDU Resources Eyeing Growth in Natural Gas Pipe Infrastructure
Bismarck, ND-based MDU Resources Group Inc. sees growth in its infrastructure businesses building natural gas pipelines and supplying construction services and materials as the Biden administration’s omnibus infrastructure bill is near a vote. The Biden administration’s “infrastructure proposals will provide additional multi-year opportunities to some of our core businesses, such as surface transportation improvements, renewable…
August 7, 2021
California OKs Ownership Transfer in Four Hydroelectric Dams
Under a 48-party settlement, California regulators have approved removing four hydroelectric dams in the Lower Klamath River system along the Oregon border. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved Pacific Power Co.’s request to transfer ownership of the dams to the Klamath River Renewal Corp. Pacific Power parent PacifiCorp reached the settlement with Oregon and…
August 4, 2021
PG&E Attempting to Dig Out from Wildfire-Related Charges, Reports $1B in Losses from Previous Blazes
Facing new criminal charges for its alleged involvement in a massive 2020 wildfire, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) CEO Patti Poppe said the combination utility is making “profound changes,” such as burying its power lines to significantly lower the risks of future fires for both California and the company. Speaking on a 2Q2021 earnings…
August 2, 2021
No ‘Easy Street’ to Create Hydrogen Economy in California
The global oil and natural gas industry is focused on developing hydrogen, but California operators are finding the changeover may require negotiating a winding, rocky road as Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to move the carbon neutrality target to 2035 from 2045. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently rejected a joint application by Sempra’s Southern…
July 29, 2021
North Dakota Oil Production Flat, But Gas Increases 1%
North Dakota’s Bakken Shale oil production under-performed in its most recent monthly statistics, reflecting a “serious shortage of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) crews,” the state’s chief oil/natural gas regulator Lynn Helms reported Tuesday. Helms told a webinar with reporters that he expects to see improvement in the summer months, but the May statistics — 34.9 million…
July 22, 2021
PG&E Equipment Potentially Linked to Raging Dixie Fire
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) on Sunday told California regulators that its equipment may have been involved in the ignition of the now raging Dixie Fire in part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Northern California. A PG&E field employee reported a blown fuse on PG&E’s Bucks Creek 1101 12-kV overhead distribution circuit,…
July 21, 2021
Forty California Jurisdictions Restricting Natural Gas in New Buildings
Permits have been issued in 40 cities and counties across California under new building code restrictions for natural gas, according to the state regulators. Restrictions vary within each jurisdiction, with exemptions for restaurants, laboratories, emergency shelters and others, the California Energy Commission (CEC) said. Longer term, CEC engineers plan to use data on the permitting…
July 20, 2021
California Well Stimulation Permitting Slows; Draft Fracking Ban Issued
California oil patch regulators on Friday denied 21 hydraulic fracturing (fracking) permits requested by Aera Energy, a unit of Shell Oil Co. and ExxonMobil. The decision to deny the well stimulation treatment (WST) permits by the California Geologic Engineering Management (CalGEM) division coincided with a draft released to ban fracking beginning in 2024. Since Gov.…
July 13, 2021
PG&E Proposing Broad California Wildfire Mitigation in Rate Hike Request
Stoked by concerns over wildfire risks and mitigation, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has asked California regulators to approve up to $5.5 billion in a rate hike from 2023-2026, a period during which it plans to spend $7.4 billion for related safety programs. About half of the general rate increase would cover wildfire reduction…
July 9, 2021