Rich Nemec

The push for more natural gas use in transportation through infrastructure and equipment advances shifted into high gear with more evidence that the transition is expanding on a global basis.

The Washington Utilities Transportation Commission (WUTC) on Friday approved long-term, multi-year plans costing nearly $700 million for the state’s four investor-owned natural gas utilities to upgrade their respective pipeline systems in lieu of stiffer federal regulations since a series of pipeline ruptures and explosions in the West and elsewhere around North America in recent years.

With or without proposed federal energy reforms, Mexico holds increased prospects and challenges for San Diego-based Sempra Energy, which is eyeing more pipeline work, expansion into natural gas liquids (NGL) and the hurdle of increased taxes by the Mexican federal government.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) senior executives admitted Wednesday that the utility has dropped the ball in keeping state regulators informed of its efforts to upgrade the safety of its natural gas pipeline network. But they argued that at no time has the system’s safety been compromised.

In what has become a public relations — and financial — concern, California regulatory staff on Tuesday slapped Pacific Gas and Electric Co. with an $8.1 million citation for allegedly failing to meet federal requirements in inspecting part of its natural gas transmission pipeline system earlier this year.

Sempra Energy senior executives said Tuesday they remain optimistic that federal approvals will be in hand by the end of this year for a $9-10 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal at existing import facilities in Cameron, LA.

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is not the culprit in methane emissions, but other parts of the drilling process are, and they are fixable, according to a panel of industry, academic and environmental representatives.

Within days of a regulatory judge’s recommending a lesser penalty, one of the five members of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) late Monday issued an alternate proposed decision, slapping a $17.25 million fine on Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) for “calculated dishonesty” related to a natural gas pipeline safety issue.

An interim state legislative task force in Wyoming has directed staff to compile a report for two committees assessing the prospects for the state attempting to take back federally managed public lands, possibly following a tack Utah took last year. Any federal-to-state transfer of land control would be applauded by the oil and natural gas industry as drilling permits historically have taken exponentially longer to receive from the federal government.