With unconfirmed reports of a hold being placed on requests to export crude oil condensates by the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on Tuesday continued her call for the agency to loosen restrictions on condensate exports.
Commerce
Articles from Commerce
Canada Follows U.S. Lead on Pipe Dumping Pushback
Canadian government officials have started investigations of the imports of oil/gas industry pipe from up to nine nations, echoing efforts by the U.S. Commerce Department to thwart “dumping” of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) for pipe priced below cost to get a foothold on robust North American markets (see Daily GPI, July 15).
Pipe Supplier, Commerce Department Make Deal on Dumping
Interpipe Co., a global steel pipe supplier with North American offices in Houston, said Monday it has reached a settlement with the U.S. Commerce Department regarding its imposition earlier in the month of a higher tariff on tubular steel (pipe) imported from the Ukraine, South Korea and seven other nations (see Daily GPI, July 15).
Steel Pipe Dumping in U.S. Draws Commerce Dept. Rebuke
Responding to petitions from several U.S.-based steelmakers, the Commerce Department on Friday imposed a stiff tariff on tubular steel (pipe) imported from South Korea and eight other nations. Steel companies and the U.S. steelworkers union lauded the Obama administration’s action.
Lawmakers Question EPA Chief on Fracking Study
Republican leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have asked U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to explain how the agency’s forays into three controversial sites will affect its comprehensive study of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
Industry Brief
Halcon Field Services, a unit of Halcon Resources Corp., is proposing to build a storage and rail-loading terminal for Utica Shale oil at the Ohio Commerce Center industrial rail park in the village of Lordstown, in Trumbull County, OH. Plans call for four bay truck racks, a 20-rail car loading platform, and six 90,000 bbl storage tanks. The $50-$60 million project is to be completed in three phases, with the first phase expected to go into service by the end of this year. A zoning variance was recently approved to allow construction to begin.
GAO to Review Shale Impact on Pipeline, Train Safety
Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the impact of growing shale oil and gas development on the nation’s rail and pipeline infrastructure.
House Panel Approves NatGas Pipe Permitting Bill
The full House Energy and Commerce Committee last Wednesday voted out amended legislation that aims to speed up the permitting of interstate natural gas pipelines by both federal and state agencies.
Incidental Taking of Arctic Marine Mammals Reviewed
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a division of the Commerce Department, said it plans to conduct a supplemental environmental review of the incidental taking of marine mammals, specifically whales, dolphins, sea lions and seals, by the oil and gas industry incidental to exploration activities in Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.
Agencies Expand Review of Harm to Mammals in Arctic Seas
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a division of the Commerce Department, announced that it plans to conduct a supplemental environmental review of the incidental taking of marine mammals, specifically whales, dolphins, sea lions and seals, by the oil and gas industry incidental to exploration activities in Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.