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U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) Friday introduced bipartisan legislation (HR 1900) that seeks to bring more certainty to the interstate natural gas pipeline permitting process.

Bipartisan legislation (HR 1900) introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) seeks to bring more certainty to the interstate natural gas pipeline permitting process, giving federal agencies up to 90 days after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues a certificate (one-time 30-day extension for unforeseen circumstances) to complete their work. The time line would apply to any federal agency charged with issuing a permit for an interstate gas project, including the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (right-of-way grant) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Endangered Species Act; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Clean Water Act); and the Environmental Protection Agency (emissions permit). Pipeline projects require as many as 10 permits. The time limit would codify existing regulations following the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), which were intended to expedite projects. A study this year by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America found that the percentage of federal authorizations for interstate pipes that were issued more than 90 days beyond FERC’s issuing environmental impact statements (EIS) or environmental assessments (EA) rose from 7.69% before EPAct became law to 28.05% after implementation (see NGI, Jan. 21). Federal authorizations granted 180 days or longer after FERC issued an EIS or EA rose from 3.42% to 19.51%. Cosponsors of the legislation are Reps. Jim Matheson (D-UT), Pete Olson (R-TX), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Bill Johnson (R-OH).

Devon Energy Corp. is increasing its oil-directed drilling this year across the Permian Basin and in the emerging Mississippian Lime as it continues its transition from a natural gas heavyweight, CEO John Richels said Tuesday.

The Northeast has seen a run of colder-than-normal weather through March Madness, but the next three months should bring the region a considerable warm-up, according to forecasters at Andover, MA-based Weather Services International (WSI).

The Northeast has seen a run of colder-than-normal weather through March Madness, but the next three months should bring the region a considerable warm-up, according to forecasters at Andover, MA-based Weather Services International (WSI).

Encana Corp. has commissioned the Cavalier liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Alberta, considered one of the keys to bring higher volumes of natural gas to heavy-duty trucking and other fleets in Western Canada and elsewhere.

Although it will take another year or more to fully assess the value, Rapid City, SD-based Black Hills Corp. is staking a lot of its long-term oil and natural gas value on its Mancos Shale acreage in both the Piceance and San Juan Basins, CEO David Emery said during a 3Q2012 earnings conference call Thursday.

Shying away from any political observations on what a presidential change in Washington, DC, might bring, speakers in keynote addresses and panel discussions focused on financial and environmental regulations, shale developments and future pricing as the key drivers in the natural gas industry at the LDC Gas Forum Midcontinent meeting in Chicago, held Sept. 10-12.

When it goes into effect Sept. 10, Ohio’s SB 315 will bring regulatory change to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and four other state agencies, but that’s just the beginning of the changes the oil and gas industry can expect from the legislation, according to Craig Kasper, CEO of project development and engineering company Hull & Associates Inc.