Permitting

Lower 48 onshore oil and gas permit approvals fell by 10% in January versus December to 1,688, with declines seen across all of the major basins, according to the latest monthly statistics compiled by Evercore ISI. The Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale combined to account for 52% of the total permit count, said the…

Cheniere Energy Inc. has requested FERC approval to place the third train in service next month at its Corpus Christi liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in South Texas, which would ramp up capacity by 4.5 million metric tons/year (mmty). The company requested permission in a letter filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on…

Plains All American LP remains in maintenance mode for now, but it has plenty of operational flexibility to accommodate production growth from the Permian Basin that may arise following the rapid uptick in oil prices. West Texas Intermediate crude is nearing $60/bbl, but CEO Willie Chiang expects to see only “modest growth” out of the…

The U.S. oil and gas industry reacted with dismay and the first of perhaps multiple lawsuits Wednesday ahead of an executive order (EO) by President Biden directing the Department of the Interior (DOI) to pause new oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands and offshore waters. The EO published Wednesday afternoon follows a 60-day…

The Biden administration last week froze for 60 days awarding new oil and gas drilling permits, as well as leases on federal onshore and offshore property, likely heralding more permanent limits to be enacted down the road. The order mandating the freeze was signed by acting Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Scott de la…

The Biden administration has frozen awarding new oil and gas drilling permits, as well as leases on federal onshore and offshore property, for 60 days, likely heralding more permanent limits to be enacted down the road. The order mandating the freeze was signed by acting Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Scott de la Vega…

After a third environmental assessment, the Washington Department of Ecology has denied a shoreline permit for a China-backed, $2 billion-plus natural gas-fed methanol plant that would be sited along the Columbia River. Project sponsor Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW) has until Feb. 9 to appeal the ruling made last Tuesday. Chief Development Officer Vee Godley said…

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to cooperate with President Biden on climate change even though one of the new president’s first actions was to halt the construction permit for Keystone XL (KXL), the Canada-to-Gulf Coast system. “We are disappointed but acknowledge the president’s decision to fulfill his election campaign promise on Keystone XL,” said…

FERC in its monthly meeting Tuesday failed to pass three draft orders for Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP), a move that could augur poorly for the developer’s expectations to quickly complete construction amid the transition to Democratic leadership at the agency. In recent months, MVP has sought the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s blessing to continue…