Cleared

The final major structures at the site of FirstEnergy Corp.’s former coal-fired R.E. Burger Power Plant in Belmont County, OH, were demolished and cleared on Friday as part of work to prepare the location for PTT Global Chemical pcl’s (PTTGC) proposed ethane cracker. The plant’s 854-foot stack was demolished on Friday. The site sits along the Ohio River. According to local news media reports, traffic was restricted on both sides of the river in Ohio and West Virginia, with Ohio setting up a two-mile buffer zone to protect motorists and pedestrians from any debris caused by the demolition. West Virginia’s Marshall County also set up viewing areas for the public to watch the work. Boilers were set to be cleared off the site as well. After a two year search, PTTGC selected the 150-acre site and another 350-acre plot nearby for the cracker. Ohio officials said at an industry conference in Pittsburgh in June that the company filed key air and water permits in May and June (see Shale Daily,June 27). The site preparation work is expected to be complete this fall (see Shale Daily,Jan. 8). PTTGC has said it expects to make a final investment decision about the facility by next year.

FERC has cleared the way for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC to sell more than 1,300 miles of pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), known as the Supply Area Facilities, to Kinetica Energy Express LLC, allowing the pipeline to exit the offshore business and shift its attention to the onshore shale market.

FERC has cleared the way for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC to sell more than 1,300 miles of pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), known as the Supply Area Facilities, to Kinetica Energy Express LLC, allowing the pipeline to exit the offshore business and shift its attention to the onshore shale market.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted out the nomination of Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The nomination cleared the Senate panel by 10-8, with key Republicans voting no, including Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), the ranking member. He said his support for McCarthy’s nomination on the Senate floor would hinge on the nominee’s answers to Republicans’ requests involving greater transparency at the agency. All eight Republicans on the committee had boycotted an earlier vote, preventing the panel from advancing the appointment to the Senate floor. Democrats were unable at the time to establish a quorum despite holding a two-seat advantage on the panel. McCarthy’s nomination is not out of the woods yet. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) still has a hold on McCarthy’s nomination over a dispute involving a water project in his state.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday overwhelmingly voted out the nomination of Ernest J. Moniz to head up the Department of Energy (DOE) to the Senate floor.

Following a judge’s decision in favor of TPG-Axon Capital, SandRidge Energy Inc. last week cleared the way for shareholders to consider a slate of candidates proposed by the hedge fund to replace SandRidge’s entire board of directors.

Following a judge’s decision in favor of TPG-Axon Capital, SandRidge Energy Inc. on Tuesday cleared the way for shareholders to consider a slate of candidates proposed by the hedge fund to replace SandRidge’s entire board of directors.

The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has cleared the acquisition of Calgary-based Nexen Inc. by CNOOC Ltd., a unit of state-controlled China National Offshore Oil Co., giving the deal all the approvals it needs to close, Nexen said Tuesday.

The bill (H.R. 4606), which cleared the House by 286-10, was sponsored by Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), whose term expires at the end of the year, and was supported by Montana Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester. It allows maintenance work on a 3 1/2-mile section of pipeline, which was built in the 1950s, that runs through Glacier National Park lands. It is part of an 118-mile pipeline system that serves about 25,000 people and runs parallel to U.S. Highway 2 along Glacier’s southern boundary.