Progress

Progress is being made in combating ozone at new oil/gas drilling sites in the Upper Green River Basin in Wyoming, but older sites are being left to pollute, according to an ad hoc report by a small number of a 28-member governor's task force that was disbanded two years ago.

Malaysia’s prime minister vowed that Petroliam Nasional Bhd will keep promises that secured Canadian approval of Progress Energy’s takeover.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) late last Friday filed its second annual report to state regulators summarizing its progress on current and future work aimed at improving its natural gas system’s safety as mandated by a state law (SB 705) passed in 2011 in response to the 2010 San Bruno transmission pipeline failure. Under its pipeline safety enhancement plan, PG&E told the California Public Utilities Commission that it has strength-tested 456 miles of its 6,750-mile gas transmission pipeline system. The utility said its has installed 76 automated shutoff valves on critical parts of the system while validating the safe operating pressure for the entire system. In addition, the utility said it is pursuing an internationally recognized gas safety certification for its system called “Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 55”; it also has established an employee-led company wide, grassroots safety committee to promote safe work habits, best practices and open communications; and it has a new Corrective Action Program to collect and act on gas system issues and ideas though a central internal company processing center. In addition, PG&E said its ongoing gas safety plan overall has been reviewed by several outside parties and includes input from employees at all levels of the PG&E gas operations organization.

Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are tight and expected to remain so for a while as liquefaction projects in progress wrestle with delays and those being planned face an environment of escalating costs. However, there is plenty of gas to liquefy in Australia, the United States (thank you, shales) and elsewhere. And there’s growing demand as gas is becoming the “fuel of choice” around the world.

Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are tight and expected to remain so for a while as liquefaction projects in progress wrestle with delays and those being planned face an environment of escalating costs. However, there’s plenty of gas to liquefy in Australia, the United States (thank you, shales) and elsewhere. And there’s growing demand as gas is becoming the “fuel of choice” around the world.

Booming shale plays in the United States have proved to be more than transformational domestically, according to Jeff Welch, head of North American Gas for EDF Trading North America — they are having “mind-boggling” implications worldwide.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independent Science Advisory Board (SAB) has formed a Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory panel of independent experts to peer review the EPA’s 2014 draft report of results for its national study on potential health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. EPA said the SAB panel will provide scientific feedback on EPA’s research in “an open and transparent manner.”

New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) is making progress in restoring natural gas service, but of the 33,000 customers that were impacted by Superstorm Sandy, the distributor was unable to estimate how many have had their gas service reinstated so far.

New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) reported Tuesday that it is making steady progress in restoring service to its hurricane-ravaged distribution system, as well as repairing the facilities.