Ml&P

FERC’s decision in March to eliminate income tax allowances for midstream master limited partnerships (MLP), which on Thursday led to a restructuring overhaul by Williams and Enbridge Inc., was a mistake, according to a former commissioner.

Pipeline giants Williams and Enbridge Inc. on Thursday announced they are simplifying their corporate structures in reaction to a FERC ruling in March that removed master limited partnership (MLP) tax benefits. Natural gas exporter Cheniere Energy Inc. also said it wants to acquire its partnership.

FERC said Thursday it will no longer allow master limited partnership (MLP) interstate natural gas and oil pipelines to recover income tax allowances in cost of service rates.

The Trump administration eliminated a series of Obama-era reforms to the Bureau of Land Management’s onshore oil and natural gas leasing program, including the use of master leasing plans (MLP), on the grounds that the reforms were duplicative and burdensome to the oil and gas industry.

The U.S. Department of Energy has reauthorized exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the ConocoPhillips Alaska Natural Gas Corp. (CPANGC) export terminal at Kenai, AK. Meanwhile, two area utilities have taken a stake in the producer’s Beluga River Unit (BRU) in order to secure natural gas supply for their customers.

Just a week after announcing that it would launch a public offering of shares in a new limited partnership with interests in some of its Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin crude oil, natural gas and water-related midstream services, Noble Midstream Partners LP has postponed it.