California

San Francisco’s elected board of supervisors on Tuesday agreed to ban the use of natural gas in new buildings beginning in 2021. The supervisors had imposed a gas ban earlier this year in new and remodeled municipal buildings, following the lead of a growing list of cities in California. At least 15 other cities in…

Wholesale energy trading losses of upward of $128 million pushed Portland General Electric (PGE) into reporting a loss for 3Q2020, but CEO Maria Pope indicated on an earnings conference call that the damage from the losses has been contained to the quarter and there will be no more impact in the months and quarters ahead. …

Fresh out of bankruptcy reorganization, PG&E Corp. and combination utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) expect to have a new executive team in place by the end of this year, management said Thursday. Interim CEO Bill Smith discussed the restructuring process and responses to recent wildfires in Northern California during a 3Q2020 earnings conference…

A Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) power line may have been involved in the start of a wildfire raging in a foothills portion of Orange County, officials at parent company Edison International (EI) said Tuesday. SCE earlier this week told state regulators the 11,000-acre Silverado Fire in Orange County was 5% contained, and there “was…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed legislation to turn the biomass from forest waste and dead trees into renewable natural gas (RNG). According to the California Forestry and Fire Protection Department, aka CalFIRE, the state has nearly 150 million dead trees. Studies have pinpointed sources throughout the nation for producing RNG, including woody forest…

The California oil and natural gas industry is throwing cold water on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to require by 2035 all new in-state cars and passenger truck sales be zero-emission and by 2024 have a legislative ban on oilfield hydraulic fracturing (fracking). In an executive order (EO) signed earlier this month, Newsom set out “clear…

California oil and natural gas permits for well abandonments to date this year are twice the number of new drilling permits being sought, according to regulators. The California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) said it has received the lowest number of well stimulation permit applications since late 2016 when state Senate Bill 4 took effect.…

California regulators on Tuesday extended the life of four coastal natural gas-fired power plants slated for retirement this year. The plants had been scheduled to be closed as part of a decade-old effort to eliminate sea water-cooled plants.  The California Water Resources Control Board action occurred after a series of rolling blackouts to manage the…

Las Vegas-based Southwest Gas Corp. (SWGas) continues to see its business units expand and expects that trend to continue, CEO John Hester said earlier this month. Covid-19 “is our No. 1 concern,” Hester said during the second quarter conference call. “We’re closely monitoring the impact on SWGas operations.” Demand to date is strong for services…