Intervene

The American Petroleum Institute (API) made its first foray into the legal battle over an Obama-era rule governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on public and tribal lands, asking a federal district court in San Francisco to allow it to intervene in a pair of lawsuits filed after the Trump administration rescinded the rule.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) asked a federal district court in San Francisco to allow it to weigh in on a pair of lawsuits filed last month regarding the Trump administration’s decision to postpone the compliance dates for rules governing associated natural gas flaring and venting on public and tribal lands.

Lawyers for Rio Grande LNG LLC and affiliates (RG) adopted an “enough is enough” posture in a Wednesday FERC filing on behalf of their client, asking the Commission to reject dozens of motions to intervene that were filed by “…entities that show absolutely no regard for the Commission’s rules…”

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead on Thursday directed his state’s attorney general to intervene in support of the federal agencies targeted by a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Idaho by four environmental groups that don’t like the greater sage grouse state-federal protection strategy hammered out last year (see Daily GPI,Sept. 22, 2015).

A collection of companies and industry groups have asked to intervene in a lawsuit filed by seven Pennsylvania municipalities against recently passed shale legislation.

FERC Commissioner Marc Spitzer last Wednesday said he supported the move in Congress to give the agency cease-and-desist authority to intervene in natural gas and power markets to stop suspected misconduct and to freeze company assets.

FERC Commissioner Marc Spitzer Wednesday said he supported the move in Congress to give the agency cease-and-desist authority to intervene in natural gas and power markets to stop suspected misconduct and to freeze company assets.

The American Gas Association Tuesday filed with FERC to intervene in its heated liquefied natural gas (LNG) jurisdictional case, noting that its 192-member local utility companies deliver more than 80% of the nation’s natural gas supplies distributed directly to end-users. AGA noted that jurisdictional disputes will only “serve to delay” terminal development and construction.

The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) last Monday filed a protest with FERC of the Mitsubishi Corp. proposal to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in Long Beach harbor. As reported in NGI in February, the CPUC believes it has jurisdiction over the proposed project.