The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is raising “environmental objections” to the State Department’s draft environmental impact statement for the northern portion of the $7 billion, 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline that would carry Canadian crude to Cushing, OK. Sponsor TransCanada Corp. had no comment. A southern portion, not requiring a federal review, is under construction between Cushing to the Gulf Coast.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) said it paid out more than $43 million to its natural gas utility customers during February and March this year under a long-standing Winter Gas Savings program. Nearly two million, or half of those eligible, received the credits, and 60% earned the maximum 20%. Collectively since the winter fuel-saving incentive program was launched in 2005, the California utility calculates that 580 million therms have been saved.

Sempra Energy‘s Southern California Gas Co. and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) jointly are rolling out a $440 million energy efficiency program for customers in Los Angeles. Several potential cost-saving programs would be offered to residential and business customers. The gas utility said it plans to use the program as a model for other municipal power utilities in its service territory.

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