Roads

The Texas Transportation Commission has approved $225 million for work to repair roads damaged as a consequence of the state’s oil and gas boom. The funding, provided by the Texas Legislature (see Shale Daily, May 30), will allow the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)to begin repairing and rehabilitating roadways damaged by heavy trucks and increased traffic. It is estimated that energy sector traffic across the state has caused $400 million in immediate roadway safety concerns, such as severe edge damage on narrow roadways, deep rutting and pavement damage. Estimates show an additional $1 billion per year is needed to restore roadways heavily impacted by energy development to “good” or “better” conditions, the commission said. “Fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes in Texas rose by 11% in 2012 compared to the previous year,” said TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson. “We are pleased that our lawmakers saw fit to fund some of these safety-focused rehabilitation and repair projects, and we hope resources that enhance safety will continue to be a priority as our energy industry thrives.” With more than 80,000 miles of highway, Texas, home of the Eagle Ford and Barnett shales as well as the Permian Basin, has the largest highway system in the nation.

Texas House lawmakers Thursday passed a bill (HB 2767) that is intended to encourage oil and gas operators to conserve and recycle as much as possible the water they use in the energy patch.

A district judge has rejected Alaska’s challenge to the Clinton-era administration’s roadless rule, which bars the construction of roads on 58 million acres of forest lands that are seen as critical to energy exploration and production, logging and other commercial activities.

A district judge has rejected Alaska’s challenge to the Clinton-era administration’s roadless rule, which bars the construction of roads on 58 million acres of forest lands that are seen as critical to energy exploration and production, logging and other commercial activities.

A pair of attorneys with extensive knowledge of New York’s regulatory, business and geological climates said the rules proposed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) won’t hamper development of the state’s shale plays, and they believe permits will be issued soon.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives, which last year approved a natural gas severance tax bill only to see it die in a subsequent lame duck session, will have another chance to implement the tax during its 2011 current session.

Natural gas-fueled vehicles offer the strongest foreign oil-displacement message of all alternative fuels, and while there are only about 120,000 of them on U.S. roads now, they’re a growing force for energy independence and cleaner air, according to Richard Kolodziej, president of Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica).

Damage to several natural gas gathering and offshore systems in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and restricted access to roads because of flooding onshore is delaying the return to full production following Hurricane Ike, federal officials said Thursday. The Minerals Management Service (MMS), which earlier this week reported 28 offshore platforms had been destroyed, revised the number upward to 48.

AGL Resources subsidiary Virginia Natural Gas said its performance-based rate proposal, including plans for a $48-60 million gas pipeline upgrade in the Hampton Roads region, was approved with modifications by the Virginia State Corporation Commission and accepted by the utility company. The utility said the plan will freeze customers’ distribution charges for five years at terms that have not increased since 1996. It’s the first performance-based rate plan approved in Virginia. “This $48-$60 million pipeline project will provide additional gas supply and serve as an economic development boost for the entire region,” said Hank Linginfelter, president of Virginia Natural Gas. “Moreover, the rate freeze provides our customers with better price stability and certainty for years to come. “We are thankful the plan was widely supported and that it was approved. We look forward to getting the pipeline built,” said Linginfelter.