Review

Five environmental groups have filed a petition for review in federal court asking that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) water quality certification (WQC) for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) be vacated because they claim the agency ignored the project’s threats to the state’s environment.

The Department of Interior (DOI) said it will review 27 national monument designations in order to comply with two executive orders (EO) signed last month by President Trump, and will seek public comments over the designations — a first in the department’s history.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday called for a statewide review of oil and natural gas operations after an investigation determined that an abandoned and severed unrefined natural gas flowline was linked to a fatal home explosion in Weld County.

President Trump signed an executive order (EO) Wednesday affecting the Antiquities Act of 1906, and potentially future oil and natural gas development, shortly after he and other Cabinet officials accused previous administrations of an “egregious abuse of federal power” in using the law to designate millions of acres as national monuments.

Tesoro Corp. plans to integrate its two major Southern California refineries are stirring debate about what the proposed $460 million project means to longstanding efforts to curb air pollution throughout the Los Angeles Basin.

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) averaged 32.8% renewable-based power supplies for the electricity it distributed last year. California has set a goal for the major utilities like PG&E to hit 33% by the end of 2020. Because of its large hydro electric fleet and the state’s only major nuclear power plant, PG&E had nearly 70% of its power supplies last year come from greenhouse gas-free resources. The company said it is well on the way to hitting a 50% renewable power goal by 2030 that was set by the state.

The Canadian government moved Thursday to heal a sore spot in its regulatory regime — aboriginal relations — and resume the stalled review of the country’s biggest pipeline project by expanding the National Energy Board (NEB).

Another Sunset review of the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has recommended again a name change of the agency, which has nothing to do with railroads and everything to do with oil and natural gas. Stricter monitoring and enforcement of industry and changes to hearings procedures also are recommended.

Another Sunset review of the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has recommended again a name change of the agency, which has nothing to do with railroads and everything to do with oil and natural gas. Stricter monitoring and enforcement of industry and changes to hearings procedures also are recommended.