Block

A deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) sidetrack appraisal well south of the Lucius discovery well in Keathley Canyon Block 875 appears to confirm a “major discovery with substantial resource potential,” an executive with Anadarko Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) last Thursday took the rare step of introducing a “disapproval resolution” to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). It sparked an immediate counterattack by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who called Murkowski’s action a “new low” in the Senate.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Thursday took the rare step of introducing a “disapproval resolution” to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). It sparked an immediate counterattack by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who called Murkowski’s action a “new low” in the Senate.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is “leaning” toward offering a “disapproval resolution” Thursday to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the senator’s spokesman said.

The headline, “Texas Railroad Commission Tries to Block Renewable Transmission Lines,” which accompanied a story regarding some motions filed by the commission to intervene in several Public Utility Commission of Texas proceedings (see Daily GPI, Dec. 3), was misleading. The commission does not necessarily oppose Oncor’s plans to build renewable transmission lines across the state, and Oncor will work with the commission to address all of its concerns as it would with any intervenor in the process, a spokesperson said.

A senator last week threatened to block the nomination of former Iowa utility regulator John Norris to FERC if it was brought up on the Senate floor for a vote.

An exploration well in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) at the Vito prospect in Mississippi Canyon Block 984 has encountered more than 250 net feet of oil pay in subsalt Miocene sands, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the well operator, reported. Anadarko has a 20% stake in the prospect; Shell Offshore Inc. holds a 55% working interest and is to become operator after the rig is released. StatoilHydro USA E&P Inc. holds the remaining 25% stake. The partners plan to evaluate the data from the Vito well and time an appraisal well, said Anadarko’s Bob Daniels, senior vice president, Worldwide Exploration. The Vito well was drilled to a total depth of 32,000 feet in 4,038 feet of water using the Noble Amos Runner deepwater drilling rig. Once operations are complete at Vito, Anadarko plans to move the rig to continue drilling operations at its operated Caesar/Tonga development in the Green Canyon area.

A district court in Ohio Tuesday dismissed a complaint brought by affiliates of coal company Murray Energy Corp., which sought to block Rockies Express Pipeline LLC (REX) from building its pipeline over active mining areas in eastern Ohio until it comes up with a “definitive mitigation plan” certified by a registered engineer in the state.

TGT said Thursday it had “experienced an issue” with an in-line inspection tool that was running upstream of block valve 3 on the Fayetteville Lateral between the Grandview and Bald Knob compressor stations. The pipeline said it continued to hold physical supplies coming in upstream of the valve to 350,000 MMBtu/d Thursday, but will take 10 receipt points to zero flows Friday while it performs maintenance to remove the inspection tool from the line. Three receipt points in the area will remain available while the work, which is expected to be completed by the start of Saturday’s gas day, is being done, TGT said.