Port

For the third time this year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) granted liquefied natural gas (LNG) export authority to American LNG Marketing LLC. The approval announced Friday is to market containerized LNG shipments to non-free trade agreement (FTA) nations, covering up to 800 MMcf/d for 20 years.

FERC staff on Monday released a favorable environmental assessment (EA) for a proposed 3.1-mile, 320 MMcf/d pipeline lateral to serve one of three newly proposed methanol production facility port projects in the Pacific Northwest.

FERC staff on Monday released a favorable environmental assessment (EA) for a proposed 3.1-mile, 320 MMcf/d pipeline lateral to serve one of three newly proposed methanol production facility port projects in the Pacific Northwest.

Plans by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to develop a $275 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and transportation facility at the Port of Tacoma south of Seattle moved ahead with the recent approval of a lease by the port’s governing board. Construction is slated to begin next year and be completed by the end of 2018.

Plans for twin natural gas-fueled methanol plants to be sited in Washington’s lower Columbia River region were unveiled this week. They could, pending approvals, be exporting production to China by 2018.

Major Utica Shale player MarkWest Energy Partners LP is buying a 36-mile railroad after reaching a tentative agreement with the Columbiana County, OH, port authority.

George P. Mitchell, whose company successfully paired horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which launched the rebirth of onshore natural gas and oil drilling in North America, was honored Monday by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and state legislators.

Elliott Associates LP, a hedge fund that owns a 4% stake in Hess Corp., is urging other shareholders to elect its five nominees to the company’s board of directors and has called on Hess to spin off its assets in the Bakken, Eagle Ford and Utica shale plays.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said development of the Marcellus Shale was “good for the entire state” but conceded that several challenges lay ahead, in part because natural gas prices remain less than $3/Mcf.