Programs

The energy industry and environmentalists have come together in a rare display of unity in Ohio to push for passage of a bill that they claim would accelerate ongoing efforts to plug thousands of orphaned oil and natural gas wells.

The use of near-zero emission transportation, including renewable natural gas (RNG), received a boost when the boards of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Ports released a joint draft Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) to drive down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation operations through the ports. Among zero and near-zero emission alternatives, the ports are embracing RNG, which a Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) spokesperson indicated could lead to immediate improvements in air quality and public health. The plan calls for equipping thousands of heavy duty trucks working in the ports daily with the latest natural gas technology, which has been supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and a sustainable freight initiative pushed by the mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Deploying heavy-duty trucks fueled with RNG can lower GHG emissions from trucks serving the ports by 80% and can reduce air pollution by 90%, the spokesman said.

Regulatory timing has been pushed back on Rapid City, SD-based Black Hills Corp.’s longstanding plans to launch a multi-utility natural gas reserves program as it searches for partners and the right reserves mix for the venture.

President Trump unveiled a $1.15 trillion budget proposal on Thursday that includes a nearly one-third cut in funding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the elimination of more than 20% of the agency’s workforce, and the termination of climate change programs, including the Clean Power Plan (CPP).

President Trump unveiled a $1.15 trillion budget proposal on Thursday that includes a nearly one-third cut in funding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the elimination of more than 20% of the agency’s workforce, and the termination of climate change programs, including the Clean Power Plan (CPP).

The Obama administration removed the Beaufort and Chukchi seas from its five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program on Friday but kept 10 potential lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and one in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.

California Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislative leaders agreed Wednesday on a distribution plan for proceeds from California’s $3.2 billion cap-and-trade program for the new fiscal year.

Former Defense Department Secretary William Cohen and 15 former military leaders are urging the Interior Department (DOI) to keep the Arctic Ocean in its proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said 41 companies involved in the energy sector, including several natural gas pipeline operators, have joined a voluntary program to detect methane leaks from a variety of sources in the field, and will implement a list of best management practices within five years.