Action

The Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) on Tuesday filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by local control activists against the industry group, the state and Gov. John Hickenlooper. COGA also is seeking court sanctions against the activists for the allegedly frivolous lawsuits.

Responding to petitions from several U.S.-based steelmakers, the Commerce Department on Friday imposed a stiff tariff on tubular steel (pipe) imported from South Korea and eight other nations. Steel companies and the U.S. steelworkers union lauded the Obama administration’s action.

Given the array of major accidents on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border during the past 12 months, the booming domestic oil/natural gas industry is keeping a close eye on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for possible revised rules for shipping crude oil by rail. Swift action last month by Canadian regulators has heightened expectations.

BP plc and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday resolved all suspensions and debarment actions against the producer that had prevented it from doing business with the federal government following a guilty plea related to the Macondo well blowout in 2010. The suspensions took immediate effect.

A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Wednesday ordered that some payments required to be paid by BP plc be halted to Gulf Coast businesses claiming they were impacted by the Macondo well blowout.

As part of President Obama’s climate action plan (see NGI, July 1), the Department of Energy (DOE) last Tuesday announced a draft $8 billion loan guarantee solicitation to develop advanced technologies aimed at avoiding and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuels.

Forced back into action following the Thursday Independence Day Holiday, physical gas traders in quiet trading Friday for weekend and Monday delivery managed to push most price point averages higher by a few cents, except for in the Northeast and California. Coming off dollar-plus losses on Wednesday, a number of Marcellus Shale-related points reversed course Friday to gain 80 cents or more. California was the only area in the red, with multiple points dropping a nickel to 15 cents.

As part of President Obama’s climate action plan, the Department of Energy Tuesday announced a draft $8 billion loan guarantee solicitation for the development of advanced technologies aimed at avoiding and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuels.

The news preceded President Obama’s call last week for more action to address climate change, but executives at NRG Energy Inc. and Tenaska Inc. may have been reading between the lines after announcing over the past two weeks that because of abundant U.S. natural gas, coal is going to play a much smaller role in their generating schemes going forward.