The House has introduced legislation to open federal waters off the coast of Virginia to oil and natural gas development, and the Senate is expected to offer a companion bill in the coming weeks. Virginia lawmakers in Congress and at the state level have pressured the Interior Department to open the coastal waters to offshore development for years (see NGI, July 11, 2011). The Virginia Jobs and Energy Act (HR 1782), introduced by Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA), mandates that Lease Sale 220 be conducted within one year and that one lease sale be held in subsequent five-year oil and gas leasing programs. Co-sponsors are Virginia Republican Reps. Rob Wittman, Robert Hurt and Morgan Griffith. During the last Congress, Rigell introduced similar legislation (HR 3882) after the Obama administration shut down exploration off of Virginia’s coast. Provisions of the bill passed the House in 2012 as part of a larger energy package, but it failed to make it out of Congress.
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U.S. Shale Drilling Investment Jumped Nearly 90% in 2011
Data just coming in from 2011 shows that investment in U.S. shale oil and gas drilling nearly doubled over 2010 levels, which vaulted shale plays to account for nearly one-quarter of all wells drilled in the United States, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API).
GOM Deepwater Drilling Opportunities Sizzling
Offshore drilling contractor Noble Corp. executives said Thursday the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) deepwater market is poised to grow “substantially” in the coming years, as exploration and production (E&P) companies develop a portfolio of highly touted prospects.
LNG Oil Index Not Easily Broken, Consultant Says
Over the next four to five years, about 70-80 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction capacity will be coming online, thanks mainly to Australia, expanding the global market for LNG by about one-third, Malcolm Johnson, a director at eMJay LNG Ltd. and industry consultant told NGI. Where all the LNG goes and at what price remains to be seen, he said (see related story).
LNG Oil Index Not Easily Broken, Consultant Says
Over the next four to five years, about 70-80 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction capacity will be coming online, thanks mainly to Australia, expanding the global market for LNG by about one-third, Malcolm Johnson, a director at eMJay LNG Ltd. and industry consultant told NGI. Where all the LNG goes and at what price remains to be seen, he said.
Wellinghoff: FERC Won’t Appeal Hunter Ruling
FERC does not intend to appeal a recent court finding that the agency lacks jurisdiction over natural gas futures transactions, said Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff last week.
Pipe Safety Violation Fines Skyrocket in West Virginia Bill
Coming two months after the explosion on the Columbia Gas Transmission system in West Virginia, the state’s House of Delegates Thursday voted out and sent to the Senate legislation that would raise the penalty per violation from $1,000 per day to $200,000 per day for pipeline safety violations.
Pipe Safety Violation Fines Skyrocket in West Virginia Bill
Coming two months after the explosion on the Columbia Gas Transmission system in West Virginia, the state’s House of Delegates Thursday voted out and sent to the Senate legislation that would raise the penalty per violation from $1,000 per day to $200,000 per day for pipeline safety violations.
AccuWeather: Six More Weeks of Winter for Northeast
The coming spring could rank among the top-ten warmest on record, but that warmth isn’t expected to be as widespread or as extreme as last year, according to AccuWeather.com’s long-range forecast team.
AGA: LNG Exports Will Not Have a ‘Material Impact’ on Prices
Coming on the heels of the departure of chemical giant Dow Chemical Co. from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) over a dispute involving liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and a decision by chemical firm Huntsman Corp. to join a coalition opposing gas exports, associations representing interstate natural gas pipelines and gas distribution lines expressed their unwavering support for U.S. sales of domestically produced gas to foreign countries.