Approval

If Gulf of Mexico (GOM) production is to reach its true potential, federal regulators must provide a “predictable review and approval process,” according to a report issued by Southern Methodist University’s Cox Maguire Energy Institute.

Spectra Energy’s long-under-attack New Jersey-New York Expansion on Monday received unanimous approval from FERC, which means firm natural gas transportation service into Manhattan could be operational sometime during the fourth quarter of 2013.

Kinder Morgan Inc.’s (KMI) acquisition of El Paso Corp. has received approval from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), provided the company’s Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP) relieves itself of some Rocky Mountain pipeline, gas processing and storage assets as it previously said it would do.

The ConocoPhillips board of directors has given final approval to spin off the downstream businesses as Phillips 66 at close of business on April 30, which would result in ConocoPhillips becoming the largest pure-play, upstream independent in North America (see Daily GPI, July 15, 2011). The companies would be headquartered in Houston. Chairman and CEO Ryan Lance would lead ConocoPhillips. Phillips 66, to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange as “PSX,” would be led by Chairman and CEO Greg Garland and would comprise the refining and marketing; midstream and chemicals businesses.

The natural gas vehicle (NGV) fueling kit manufacturer at Clean Energy Fuels Corp., BAF, has received approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its compression natural gas (CNG) conversion kits used on 2012 Ford F-Series 250/350 pickup trucks and E-Series 250/350 vans. CARB’s OK means the NGVs can now be sold in California. BAF is the first CNG converter in the nation to receive CARB’s certification for F-Series pickups. CNG-powered BAF E-250/350 van are already in wide use among service providers such as AT&T and Super Shuttle, and have been certified by CARB since 2007; now the certification is extended to include 2012 models. The latest NGV certification adds to permits BAF already has from CARB for several other Ford models, and it has federal Environmental Protection Agency certification for all of the models.

The Canadian government promised Thursday to speed up the country’s notoriously slow environmental approval process by setting tight deadlines for regulatory agencies, reducing overlap with provincial reviews, improving Aboriginal consultations and making protests potentially tougher to mount.

The Canadian government promised Thursday to speed up the country’s notoriously slow environmental approval process by setting tight deadlines for regulatory agencies, reducing overlap with provincial reviews, improving Aboriginal consultations and making protests potentially tougher to mount.

Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) gained state regulatory approval Thursday to sell its lone remaining interest in out-of-state coal-fired generation. This is consistent with the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) mandate that it do so by 2016.

Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP’s Gulf South Pipeline Co. LP is seeking FERC approval to offer a new natural gas exchange service in the Perryville, LA, area.