Launched

Oneok Partners LP Thursday launched plans to invest up to $500 million between now and 2015 to build additional natural gas liquids (NGL) infrastructure in some of its Midcontinent operations, with the bulk of the funds earmarked for the Williston Basin.

Moving right along on the energy regulatory front, Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on Wednesday launched a study of air emissions tied to oil and gas development.

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), which governs water use for a portion of the Marcellus Shale, has launched an online reporting system for the Water Supply Charges Program (WSCP) to streamline operations. All reports beginning this year must be completed online; reporting and payment deadlines are unchanged.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) has launched a television and print ad campaign in Washington, DC, and in several states to drive home the importance of a favorable tax code in developing domestic domestic oil and natural gas and creating jobs. “Taxes on the industry are a key energy issue, and, as our Election Day polling showed, voters are skeptical about targeting the industry for higher taxes. To encourage members of Congress who are part of that conversation with voters, we’re launching new television and print advertising inside the [Washington, DC] beltway and in selected states,” said Khary Cauthen, API senior director of federal relations. Both the print and television ads will run for two weeks in the DC area, as well as New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado and Louisiana. President Obama has proposed eliminating $4 billion annually in tax breaks for oil and gas producers. “Raising our taxes is not the answer. We already are taxed at a higher rate than [many] other industries,” an API spokesman said.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) launched a television and print ad campaign on Wednesday in Washington, DC, and in several states to drive home the importance of a favorable tax code in developing domestic domestic oil and natural gas and creating jobs.

With an Alberta-grown veteran of international industry at the helm, a newcomer last week launched an Atlantic coast entry into the lineup of Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects.

With an Alberta-grown veteran of international industry at the helm, a newcomer on Wednesday launched an Atlantic coast entry into the lineup of Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has launched an enhanced natural gas safety technology available to the industry that it said would validate the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) for safe gas operations. The MAOP Validation Calculator is the result of a four-year license agreement between PG&E and Coler & Colantonio Inc., a privately owned firm that specializes in, among other things, pipeline software and services. The technology is incorporated into a geospacial information system, or GIS, and the software performs calculations to validate the MAOP for each pipeline component. The calculator output allows for standardized report generation and the engineering analysis of MAOP validation issues.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) has launched a color-coded interactive map tool that allows the public to view water quality data from more than 450 oil and natural gas drilling sites in the state.