Authority

Taking on the Sierra Club over the organization’s claims that it has the authority to block the construction of a natural gas liquefaction project at the Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Lusby, MD, Dominion on Friday filed a lawsuit with the Circuit Court of Calvert County, MD, for declaratory judgment to confirm its right to build the project.

While she joined the majority at FERC last week in voting out a certificate to build facilities to liquefy and export natural gas, Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur on Monday cautioned industry about rushing to invest in liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, questioning how long the U.S. will maintain its technology advantage in the development of the shale gas that is driving the trend towards exports.

Funding for a proposed study of the health impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is not included in a $132.5 billion state budget that the New York State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo agreed to on Tuesday.

A landmark ruling by the Texas Supreme Court last month that landowners own groundwater “in place” will benefit shale producers by facilitating the sale of the water, according to Kathleen Hartnett White, a distinguished senior fellow and director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin, TX.

The state-owned Gas Authority of India Ltd. (Gail) Monday said it plans to commission its long-delayed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at Dabhol, in Maharashtra state, by the end of March or early April.

A new natural gas-fueled power plant to be built near Marble Falls, TX, for the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) will be the first combined-cycle plant in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region to meet the latest greenhouse gas regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency, according to GE, turbine provider to the project.

A bill advancing through the Kansas Legislature would amend existing regulatory law and give the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) explicit authority over hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has dropped its two cents into the debate over the validity of a draft Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on the potential link of groundwater contamination to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in Pavillion, WY.

E. Russell (Rusty) Braziel, a respected authority in the energy industry with more than 30 years of experience, is leaving Bentek Energy this week to launch an energy industry networking and consulting business based in Houston.