Federal regulators have ordered some offshore operators to suspend Gulf of Mexico (GOM) drilling operations after discovering some apparently faulty bolts were used on equipment to prevent well blowouts.
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Consumer Group Seeks to Overturn PG&E Pipeline Safety Plan
California’s major utility watchdog group, The Utility Reform Network (TURN), asked state regulators Wednesday to reverse their approval in December allowing $214 million of utility ratepayer support for part of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) multi-year natural gas pipeline safety enhancement plan.
UGI Fine Increased for Allentown Blast
Pennsylvania regulators on Thursday approved a revised settlement raising to $500,000 the penalty on UGI Corp. for an explosion that killed five people in Allentown, PA two years ago.
Regulators Raise Penalty on UGI for Allentown Blast
Pennsylvania regulators Thursday approved a revised settlement raising to $500,000 the penalty on UGI Corp. for an explosion that killed five people in Allentown, PA two years ago.
Colorado Drilling Water Tests Draw Mixed Reviews
Colorado on Monday established new mandatory water sampling requirements for oil and natural gas drilling drawing criticism from industry and environmental groups. Sampling of multiple water wells before and after drilling is now required.
People
After serving 11 years as one of three regulators on the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), Patrick Oshie stepped down last Friday. A successor will be appointed by Washington’s Gov.-elect, Jay Inslee. Oshie was a partner in a Yakima, WA law firm when then-Gov. Gary Locke appointed him to the UTC in 2001; he was subsequently appointed to a second six-year term by Gov. Chris Gregoire in 2006. Oshie previously had served as an assistant city attorney in Seattle and an assistant attorney general in Utah, where he also was a law professor.
Industry Brief
Idaho regulators last Friday gave Intermountain Gas Co. emergency authority to sell up to 100,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its Nampa, ID, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility to aid residents at nearby West Yellowstone, MT, where LNG shortages are anticipated due to a power outage that could leave residents without heating fuel, a spokesperson for the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) said. West Yellowstone’s natural gas supplier, Energy West, notified Intermountain last Thursday that its chief supplier had been shut down because of a power outage in southwest Wyoming. The power outage, combined with a cold snap, left Energy West in a tough position for finding alternative LNG sources, the PUC spokesperson said. Intermountain, which isn’t authorized to sell LNG, said it had adequate LNG supplies in storage, and Energy West has a truck-trailer it can use to transport the emergency fuel. Charges for the emergency supplies will be determined after Intermountain files an LNG tariff schedule with the PUC.
Alaska Taking Public Comments on Proposed Frack Rules
Regulators in Alaska are proposing a comprehensive set of rules to govern hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state, and will accept public comments on the proposals through early February, when a public hearing is also scheduled.
Pangea Taking ‘Bite-Sized’ Approach to LNG Export
Pangea LNG (North America) Holdings LLC, a relative latecomer to the North American liquefied natural gas (LNG) export race, is approaching regulators, and the market, with a smaller, more scalable project on the Texas Gulf Coast that the company’s CEO, an LNG veteran, says has better odds of coming to fruition than some mega project competitors.
California Regulators Unveil Draft Fracking Rules
Preliminary draft rules for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) were unveiled Tuesday by California’s state oil and natural gas drilling regulators who indicated the development process will take at least all of next year.