Regulatory

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has cleared a National Fuel Gas Co. (NFG) subsidiary to start construction on the FM100 natural gas pipeline expansion and modernization project.  NFG said it would start construction early next month and expects to bring the project online by the end of the year. FM100 would boost natural gas takeaway…

Although still under sporadic criticism from regulators, legislators and customers, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) and parent company PG&E Corp. are developing a new playbook, including updated wildfire mitigation plans. CEO Patricia Poppe during a fourth quarter conference call Thursday said the mitigation plans were moving to risk-based from activity-based. They would address the…

Wyoming’s revenue could be devastated in the near term by the pause in oil and gas permitting on federal lands, Gov. Mark Gordon warned on Wednesday. In a letter to Acting Interior Secretary Scott de La Vega, Gordon outlined his concerns over Secretarial Order 3395 issued in January regarding the pause in issuing federal permits…

Lower 48 onshore oil and gas permit approvals fell by 10% in January versus December to 1,688, with declines seen across all of the major basins, according to the latest monthly statistics compiled by Evercore ISI. The Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale combined to account for 52% of the total permit count, said the…

A California senator representing the heart of the state’s oil patch has signaled an intent to pursue legislation to enact more oversight on well stimulation techniques. Democratic state Sen. Melissa Hurtado’s intent bill, Senate Bill (SB) 25, indicates the San Joaquin Valley district she represents has many energy industry workers but she wants to protect…

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to use the tools in their toolbox to challenge the Biden administration’s actions that threaten the oil and natural gas industry. Abbott last week issued state Executive Order GA-33 that he said is designed to protect the nation’s largest energy state from what he said is federal…

A new federal rule intended to prevent large banks from denying loans to companies in the oil and gas industry and other sectors that have fallen out of favor with some institutional investors because of environmental and social concerns represents a win for energy companies. But it may prove short-lived. The “fair access” rule, finalized…

A ban on hydraulic fracturing, a key technique used to complete unconventional oil and natural gas wells, could reverse U.S. production growth and lead the country backwards to become a net importer once again by as soon as 2025, the outgoing Trump administration warned in a report issued Thursday. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) outgoing…

The Canadian natural gas industry faces “a high degree of uncertainty,” according to TC Energy Corp.’s supply collection grid in Alberta and British Columbia (BC), Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL). Political and economic risks jeopardize up to C$3 billion ($2.3 billion) of additions that the pipeline network would build if the industry fulfilled its potential,…