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
NGVs Still Choice Among Fleets, but EVs Said Favored Longer Term
The energy transition is pushing natural gas vehicles (NGV) aside for battery electric vehicles (EV), according to new research. “The State of Sustainable Fleets 2021,” issued in late May by consultancy Gladstein, Neandross and Associates, said imminent climate change priorities make EVs the ultimate solution. The report was sponsored by transportation fueling, manufacturing and leasing…
June 10, 2021
California Cracking Down on 2019 Utility Wildfire Outages
California regulators on Thursday ordered financial penalties and corrective actions against the state’s major investor-owned electric utilities for failing to meet guidelines in 2019 when using planned power outages as a means of reducing the risk of wildfires caused by utility equipment. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), and San…
June 7, 2021
PG&E Fined $106M for 2019 Power Shutoff Events
California regulators have fined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) $106 million for allegedly violating guidelines in 2019 for executing planned power outages to lower wildfire risks. The fine by an administrative law judge (ALJ) is part of an ongoing effort by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to hold the state’s major investor-owned utilities…
June 2, 2021
NW Natural’s Residential Customers Prefer Natural Gas, Says CEO
Surveys show that 80% of NW Natural’s residential customers prefer natural gas for heating and cooking, CEO David Anderson said Wednesday. Anderson spoke at a virtual forum sponsored by the American Gas Association (AGA). “More than 80% of those surveyed said they would pay $50,000 more for a median-priced home with gas appliances over an…
May 25, 2021
Los Angeles Officials Push to Shutter Aliso Gas Storage Field
The Los Angeles City Council this month urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to initiate an accelerated plan to close the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field. The council passed a resolution to close the Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) 86 Bcf field, site of the nation’s largest methane leak in October 2015. The city council resolution…
May 25, 2021
Bakken Looking to Grow Oil Reserves on EOR, Technology
The Bakken Shale is coming back strong in the months ahead as producers secure more permits and boosted by improved technologies, according to North Dakota officials. North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, ND, earlier this month that he had signed orders for another…
May 25, 2021
California Resources Turning to Decarbonization Projects
California Resources Corp. (CRC) in 1Q2021 reported red ink and a shift in focus to renewables and decarbonization, following its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. CRC drilled 17 wells with one drilling rig in place during the quarter, according to CEO Mark McFarland. He also said the anti-hydraulic fracturing move by California Gov.…
May 21, 2021
U.S. Oil, Gas Industry Said Ready to Thrive with Economic Stimulus, Fair Trade
The U.S. oil and natural gas sector could thrive with federal stimulus packages and with the resumption of fair trade worldwide, a top Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) executive said Tuesday in North Dakota. Fed President Neel Kashkari of the Minneapolis branch spoke at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference. He discussed the Biden administration’s proposed stimulus…
May 18, 2021
California Calls to Replace Natural Gas Space Heating With All-Electric
Starting in 2023, California building standards are to call for electric heat pump space heating to replace natural gas, but the rules fall short of requiring all-electric dwellings in new construction. The California Energy Commission (CEC) said the rules would be the first in the nation to make heat pumps the baseline technology in a…
May 18, 2021
Sempra’s SoCalGas, Los Angeles Utility Partner in Hydrogen Initiative
The nation’s largest municipal utility and largest investor-owned natural gas distributor have joined a green hydrogen-buying coalition, HyDeal LA, to create commercial-scale buying for the Los Angeles area. Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) have joined the effort to “achieve at-scale green hydrogen procurement”…
May 18, 2021