Upgrades

New York’s Con Edison said it will spend about $100 million on new natural gas mains, regulators and other upgrades to its system in several neighborhoods in Manhattan and the Bronx, enabling more customers to convert from heating oil. “Our customers are discovering the economic and environmental benefits of switching from heavy fuel oils to natural gas, and we want to do everything we can to make the conversion process easy for them,” said Nick Inga, director of the utility’s gas conversion group. A New York City environmental regulation phases out the use of No. 6 fuel oil by 2015 and No. 4 fuel oil by 2030. The regulation requires building owners to switch to another heating source, such as natural gas. Although the regulation does not require the phasing out of No. 2 fuel oil, hundreds of No. 2 oil-heated buildings have switched as well to natural gas due to economic benefits, Con Edison said.

Calling it dangerous and potentially harmful to its ability to finance natural gas pipeline safety upgrades, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) last week filed a formal reply to California regulators, strongly rejecting a safety staff recommendation of a $2.25 billion for the utility’s part in the Sept. 9, 2010 pipeline rupture and explosion in San Bruno, CA.

Calling it dangerous and potentially harmful to its ability to finance future natural gas pipeline safety upgrades, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) last Friday filed a formal reply to state regulators, strongly rejecting a safety staff recommendation of a $2.25 billion for PG&E’s part in the Sept. 9, 2010 pipeline rupture and explosion in San Bruno, CA.

Irving, TX-based Worldwide Energy Consortium Inc. (WEC) is set to begin the initial engineering/permitting phase for a new refinery to be located near Gardendale in La Salle County, TX.

FERC has approved Columbia Gas Transmission’s customer settlement that proposes $1.5 billion in upgrades to the pipeline system over the next five years.

The administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett says new natural gas pipelines should be allowed to share rights-of-way (ROW) with roadways, one of 16 policy recommendations made to fulfill a requirement of the state’s new omnibus Marcellus Shale law, Act 13.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly and lawyers representing several state agencies filed briefs with the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, arguing that an appellate court erred when it said portions of Act 13, the state’s new omnibus Marcellus Shale law, were unconstitutional.

Infrastructure, water and housing upgrades remain priorities in western North Dakota to keep up with the continuing robust growth in oil and gas development, according to a report released Tuesday by Gov. Jack Dalrymple.

Infrastructure, water and housing upgrades remain priorities in western North Dakota to keep up with the continuing robust growth in oil and gas development, according to a report released Tuesday by Gov. Jack Dalrymple.