Department

The ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources urged the committee’s chairman to have Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke testify before the panel “as soon as possible” following President Trump’s proposed $1.5 billion budget cut to DOI.

Two senior officials within the Trump administration said the State Department will recommend approval of TransCanada Corp.’s controversial Keystone XL (KXL) crude oil pipeline, removing one of the remaining barriers to the project’s completion, according to reports.

The ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources urged the committee’s chairman to have Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke testify before the panel “as soon as possible” following President Trump’s proposed $1.5 billion budget cut to DOI.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry and Department of Interior (DOI) Ryan Zinke met with their respective employees and delivered nearly simultaneous greetings on Friday, in meetings that were both friendly and, in many ways, folksy.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has opened a 45-day public comment period for input on two permits it’s been drafting and a new well site inspection protocol. The new general permit for unconventional well sites (GP-5A) and revisions for the general permit for natural gas compressor stations (GP-5) are part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plans to reduce oil and gas industry emissions. The proposals would also affect remote pigging stations, transmission stations and processing plants. DEP said they establish best available technology for leak detection and repair, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, among other things. The proposal also would require natural gas operators to inspect the installation of well pads within 30 days and quarterly after wells are put into production. The comment period opened on Feb. 4 and will close on March 22. The proposals are available on the agency’s website.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who once quipped that he would dismantle the Department of Energy (DOE) if elected president, has reportedly been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the department.

Ohio’s local collection of the taxes producers pay on their oil and natural gas reserves has changed slightly in a move that could mean increased burdens for some producers that contest the value of their assets and the taxes they must pay on them.

Consol Energy Inc. has reached a settlement with state and federal regulators to pay $3 million for Clean Water Act violations that occurred years ago in its coal operations. Consol had been waiting to reach the agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The company has already spent heavily to resolve some of the violations and prevent future incidents. It also has set aside money to pay for the settlement. The government alleged that Consol consistently violated its Clean Water Act discharge permits. Federal regulators started reviewing the company’s discharges in 2011. Consol would also better manage and monitor mining wastewater at its Bailey Mine Complex in Pennsylvania as part of the settlement. The company has been transitioning to a pure-play natural gas exploration and production company in recent years. It has sold $5 billion in coals assets since 2012. It has just one non-operated coal complex in its portfolio.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has asked FERC to order a halt to construction of the Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project, which would allow four state agencies to continue their investigations into a troubled nuclear power plant adjacent to the pipeline’s route.