Daily

Privately held American Energy Partners LP, created by former Chesapeake Energy Corp. chief Aubrey McClendon three years ago, is closing in a few months, the company said.

Downeast LNG, a long-struggling liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal proposed for Maine to take advantage of abundant Marcellus and Utica shale natural gas, is up for sale, the project backer said. In announcing the decision, Downeast Chairman George Petrides cited the recent cancellation of Kinder Morgan Inc.’s Northeast Energy Direct (NED) project (see Daily GPI,April 21). Petrides said with the scrapping of NED, “…it is very likely that the Algonquin expansion will happen and will facilitate natural gas going from the Marcellus…to our project in northern Maine.” The Algonquin Gas Transmission project is called Access Northeast (see Daily GPI,May 4). Petrides said an industrial investor or infrastructure capital fund would be better suited to continue the pursuit of the terminal project. Last November, Downeast asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to pause proceedings in its docket before the Commission (see Daily GPI,Nov. 4, 2015).

A Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania is circulating a memo seeking co-sponsors for a bill that would strengthen the independence of the state’s Environmental Quality Board (EQB) by shaking-up its membership and eliminating the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) secretary’s chairmanship.

A Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania is circulating a memo seeking co-sponsors for a bill that would strengthen the independence of the state’s Environmental Quality Board (EQB) by shaking-up its membership and eliminating the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) secretary’s chairmanship.

Minimum federal standards for underground natural gas storage are in development, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez said Tuesday.

Minimum federal standards for underground natural gas storage are in development, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez said Tuesday.

Following the completion of commissioning demonstration tests, Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC and Sabine Pass LNG LP asked FERC for authorization to place into service the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal’s Train 1 facilities. More than a half-dozen commissioning cargoes have left the first train of the Cheniere Energy Louisiana terminal to date (see Daily GPI,April 29). Last Friday the Cheniere companies asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow certain Train 1 facilities to enter commercial service by Tuesday (May 3). “Pending approval from FERC, Sabine could begin commercial operations at Train 1,” Genscape Inc. said in a note. The facility’s first train has contracts to supply Royal Dutch Shell/BG Group, Kansai Electric Power Co., and Chubu Electric Power Co., Genscape said.

Following the completion of commissioning demonstration tests, Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC and Sabine Pass LNG LP asked FERC for authorization to place into service the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal’s Train 1 facilities. More than a half-dozen commissioning cargoes have left the first train of the Cheniere Energy Louisiana terminal to date (see Daily GPI,April 29). Last Friday the Cheniere companies asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow certain Train 1 facilities to enter commercial service by Tuesday (May 3). “Pending approval from FERC, Sabine could begin commercial operations at Train 1,” Genscape Inc. said in a note. The facility’s first train has contracts to supply Royal Dutch Shell/BG Group, Kansai Electric Power Co., and Chubu Electric Power Co., Genscape said.

FERC is seeking additional comments and has opened a new scoping period to examine route changes and facility modifications made for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC (ACP).