Plan

Linn Energy Inc. revised its initial plan to separate into three standalone companies and now expects to break into two entities in 3Q2018: a pure play exploration and production (E&P) company focused on the Midcontinent, and an upstream and midstream outfit with assets in several unconventional regions. The entire management team, including CEO Mark Ellis, also is planning to retire.

President Trump called on Congress Monday to pass an infrastructure bill that would generate at least $1.5 trillion in new investment over the next decade, with the federal government contributing $200 billion and a goal set to shorten the permitting process for infrastructure projects to two years or less.

The Mexican energy ministry (Sener) expects to release a draft of its natural gas distribution policy as early as the first quarter of this year.

The Trump administration on Thursday proposed to throw out the rule book for offshore oil and natural gas drilling, expanding leasing to politically sensitive areas including the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

EQT Corp. is accelerating a plan to address shareholder concerns that the stock is trading at a discount to overall value, announcing that a board committee would make recommendations by the end of March.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives could soon vote on an alternative plan to fund the state budget that’s supported by Republican leadership and doesn’t include a severance tax on unconventional natural gas production or tax hikes for natural gas and electric utility customers, as the Senate-approved plan does.

Near-zero emission (NZE) heavy-duty natural gas vehicles may be one of the beneficiaries of the latest air quality rules established by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), which covers the four-county greater Los Angeles Basin and its population of 17 million.

Stone Energy Corp.’s pre-packaged restructuring plan to wipe out $1.2 billion in debt was approved this week by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, bringing the company one step closer to being turned over to its noteholders.

In a mega-deal that more than doubles its reach in West Texas, Noble Energy Inc. on Monday agreed to pay $2.7 billion for Clayton Williams Energy Inc., giving the Houston independent one of the largest positions in the Permian Basin’s Delaware formation.