Opened

Eyes have been opened and ears perked throughout the West, if not most states, since the fatal San Bruno pipeline rupture a year ago and the serious flaws exposed in Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) natural gas operations. California stakeholders and regulators in other states have taken action or are contemplating new measures aimed at ensuring gas pipeline safety in their states.

Florida Power & Light (FPL) said it may resurrect a $1.5 billion, 300-mile natural gas transmission pipeline project that state regulators rejected two years ago in a new version. However, a spokesperson told NGI the pipe project, which regulators previously rejected as uneconomic, is far from a sure thing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on Wednesday opened for public comment an evaluation of NiSource Inc.’s draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), a major step in helping the company obtain a multi-species incidental “take” permit for 10 federally listed species that are found across its 14-state, 17,500-mile natural gas transmission network.

Mexico’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal, which opened five years ago along the Gulf of Mexico coast, has been sold by its tripartite owners to Dutch-based Royal Vopak NV and Spain’s Enagas SA, it was announced Friday. Vopak will be the majority owner (60%).

Mexico’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal, which opened five years ago along the Gulf of Mexico coast, has been sold by its tripartite owners to Dutch-based Royal Vopak NV and Spain’s Enagas SA, it was announced Friday. Vopak will be the majority owner (60%).

May natural gas futures opened higher Monday but quickly tumbled nearly 20 cents to land solidly in the loss column, as falling oil markets were able to tug natural gas lower. At the close May was off by 6.6 cents to $4.138 and June had declined 7.4 cents to $4.190. May crude oil swan-dived $2.54 to $107.12/bbl.

Los Angeles has opened another natural gas transportation fueling facility in its sanitation department, which runs many of its refuse hauling trucks on liquefied natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) as it changes from traditional diesel fuel. The LA Sanitation District’snew North Central Clean Fuel Dispensing Facility fuels the city fleet of recycling and refuse-collection vehicles. Los Angeles officials have committed to increase the number of alternative fuel vehicles in the city fleet by 15% annually until 85% of the fleet is converted by fiscal 2012-2013. The new fueling station is the city’s 19th alternative fuel location, part of the largest CNG fleet in the United States, according to the city.

Chevron Corp., which opened its wallet in a big way last fall with its nearly $5 billion purchase of U.S. shale producer Atlas Energy Inc., sees natural gas as the highway to the future. And it’s banking on it.

Chevron Corp., which opened its wallet in a big way last fall with its nearly $5 billion purchase of U.S. shale producer Atlas Energy Inc., sees natural gas as the highway to the future. And it’s banking on it.