Concerns

Raising concerns of infrastructure and costs regarding the state’s 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goal for 2020, Edison International CEO Ted Craver said last Monday his company’s utility is focusing on building new transmission and resolving the current uncertainty surrounding the state’s fleet of 20 coastal natural gas-fired generation plants. Craver made the comments in a first quarter earnings conference call with financial analysts.

Raising concerns of infrastructure and costs regarding the state’s 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goal for 2020, Edison International CEO Ted Craver said Monday his company’s utility is focusing on building new transmission and resolving the current uncertainty surrounding the state’s fleet of 20 coastal natural gas-fired generation plants. Craver made the comments in a first quarter earnings conference call with financial analysts.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with input from the departments of Interior and Energy, industry and the states, is expected “very shortly” to issue guidance to oil and natural gas producers on the use of diesel in hydraulic fracturing (fracking), said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson Tuesday.

April natural gas managed a small gain Tuesday in volatile trading. Petroleum markets, however, continued to plummet as concerns mounted over the deepening crisis in Japan and a substantial hit to the world’s third largest economy. Natural gas prices managed to rise as traders noted the relative appeal of gas compared to deteriorating equity and other petroleum markets. At the close April natural gas had risen 2.7 cents to $3.941 and May closed 3.6 cents higher at $4.012. April crude oil plunged $4.01 to $97.18/bbl.

Support — contingent on FERC first resolving some concerns — has been expressed for Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC’s application to add a new liquefaction operation to its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Cameron Parish, LA, transforming it into a “bidirectional facility” for the purpose of exporting LNG. A trade group representing municipal gas utilities appeared to be the sole opponent to the project.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, has added the Interior Department to its high-risk list due to concerns over its management of oil and natural gas resources.

With regulators increasing concerns about data gaps related to the pressure testing of sections of high-pressure natural gas transmission pipelines, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) this month has assumed a data-gathering approach, while refusing to speculate on how much of the 1,800 miles of transmission pipeline it has traversing high-consequence areas (HCA) may need testing.

The debate over hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is sparking concerns about drinking water safety in the Marcellus Shale area and nationwide, according to the results of a trio of surveys released by the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI).

Between the recent pipeline accidents near Marshall, MI, and in San Bruno, CA, and the fact that the current natural gas pipeline network was set up decades ago to serve the eastern mega-market that now is developing its own supply, the natural gas transmission sector faces a number of challenges going forward.