The battle continued Friday among the federal government, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) over the stalled Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project.
Federal
Articles from Federal
Bill Would Allow Limited Development of Alaska’s 1002 Area
Alaska’s two U.S. senators introduced legislation on Thursday to open a non-wilderness portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to limited oil and gas development.
Dominion Gets FERC OK to Start Leidy Project in Pennsylvania, Virginia
FERC has given the green light to Dominion Transmission Inc.’s (DTI) Leidy South Project, which would provide 155,000 Dth/d of firm transportation service in the Mid-Atlantic region through upgrades and modifications to Dominion’s transmission pipeline system.
FERC DEIS for Mountain Valley Pipeline Needs Work, Federal Agencies Say
FERC’s draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP) is incomplete or insufficient, a number of participating federal agencies told the Commission last week.
Proposed Pennsylvania Methane Regs Exceed Federal Standards
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) plans to incorporate and go beyond the latest federal requirements to reduce oil and gas industry methane emissions in a new general permit for unconventional wells sites and revisions for the general permit for natural gas compressor facilities.
Interior’s Jewell, Colorado Governor Cite ‘Balance’ in Canceling Thompson Divide Leases
To the disappointment of West Slope producers, the Obama administration and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper joined forces in Denver on Thursday to announce the cancellation of oil/natural gas leases in the White River National Forest, including the long-contested Thompson Divide. They said the cancellation balances resource protection and development.
Court Orders Feds to Protect Utah, Colorado Wildflowers From Resource Extraction
With implications for oil/natural gas drilling as well as mining, the U.S. District Court for Colorado on Tuesday agreed with various environmental groups that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) needs to protect two threatened wildflowers that live solely on an oil shale formation in Colorado and Utah.
Mixed Reaction to BLM’s Proposed Southwestern Colorado Master Leasing Plan
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is expected to propose a master leasing plan (MLP) in October for the Tres Rios region in southwestern Colorado that would include provisions allowing oil and natural gas development, but some local industry are skeptical about the prospect.
Bee ‘Endangered’ Listing Could Sting Energy Interests, Lawyers Say
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is proposing to list the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) — which occurs in the eastern and Midwestern United States, as well as Ontario, Canada — as an endangered species. Such a move would have implications for developers of energy infrastructure, according to observers.
Obama Administration Sets Two-Month Review Process on Tribal Input For Pipelines
The Obama administration on Friday released a “consultation schedule” with Native American tribes that was originally called for earlier in the month following court rulings against the tribes’ attempts to shut down the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline now under construction between North Dakota and an oil hub in south-central Illinois.