Circuit

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on Tuesday dismissed a complaint by six shippers on the TransCanada-connected Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) in New England, noting that they can seek a remedy through FERC’s rate-setting processes. The court action is related to lawsuits filed after the pipeline slashed its capacity by 20% in the aftermath of two other shippers filing for bankruptcy four or five years ago.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit last Tuesday dismissed a complaint by six shippers on the TransCanada-connected Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) in New England, noting that they can seek a remedy through FERC’s rate-setting processes. The court action is related to lawsuits filed after the pipeline slashed its capacity by 20% in the aftermath of two other shippers filing for bankruptcy four or five years ago.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans has ruled that a group of Mississippi landowners can move forward with a lawsuit in which they claim gas and coal companies contributed to global warming and “added to the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina” by emitting greenhouse gases (GHG).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans has ruled that a group of Mississippi landowners can move forward with a lawsuit in which they claim gas and coal companies contributed to global warming and “added to the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina” by emitting greenhouse gases (GHG).

Production is in the process of ramping up to normal levels of about 400 MMcf/d from the Sable Offshore Energy Project off Nova Scotia, an ExxonMobil spokesman said. The unit was down for planned maintenance when it was evacuated due to the threat from Hurricane Bill (see NGI, Aug. 31). The facility was remanned and maintenance was completed Aug. 30, said spokesman Merle MacIsaac. He said a damage inspection revealed that no harm had been caused by Bill. The Sable project is owned by ExxonMobil Canada Properties Ltd., Shell Canada Ltd., Imperial Oil Resources, Pengrowth Energy Trust and Mosbacher Operating Ltd. Sable gas production travels on Spectra Energy’s Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline. The Maritimes & Northeast mainline interconnects with Portland Natural Gas Transmission System, Tennessee Gas Pipeline and Algonquin Gas Transmission. Through lateral pipelines the pipeline serves markets in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Emera Inc. and ExxonMobil Canada own minority interests in the pipeline.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. sighed a breath of relief early last week after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a Lake Charles, LA, federal court’s 2007 decision that the company did not have to pay the U.S. government millions of dollars in royalties on eight oil and natural gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. sighed a breath of relief Monday after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a Lake Charles, LA, federal court’s 2007 decision that the company did not have to pay the U.S. Government millions of dollars in royalties on eight oil and natural gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Monday ordered the federal government to pay more than $1 billion in recovered costs to a group of exploration and production (E&P) companies, upholding a 2005 federal court’s decision to pay for leases off the California coast that were breached. The decision affirms that the government owes the companies bonuses they paid for Outer Continental Shelf leases.

Islander East Pipeline Co.’s proposed 45-mile Connecticut-to-Long Island project took yet another hit when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York said it will not review a Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) decision to deny the project a water-quality permit.