Natural gas utilities can help lead the transition to a carbonless energy future in the United States, Sempra Energy CEO Jeffrey Martin said last week. California, where two of Sempra’s three major U.S. utilities operate, has a regulatory proceeding to develop a strategy for a phased approach to developing a multi-decade strategy for gas. Martin…
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Articles from utilities

Black Hills Sees Natural Gas Continuing as Long-Term Choice for Customers
Natural gas is a long-term player and not a transitional fuel for the eight states in which Rapid City, SD-based Black Hills Corp. operates, CEO Linn Evans said Tuesday. During a 3Q2020 earnings call, Evans said he was not expecting any local lockdowns in the utility service areas, with the worst of the Covid-19 impacts…

PG&E Turns a Profit, Looks for New Leadership Post-Restructuring
Fresh out of bankruptcy reorganization, PG&E Corp. and combination utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) expect to have a new executive team in place by the end of this year, management said Thursday. Interim CEO Bill Smith discussed the restructuring process and responses to recent wildfires in Northern California during a 3Q2020 earnings conference…

SoCal Edison Power Line Possibly Sparks California’s Silverardo Wildfire
A Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) power line may have been involved in the start of a wildfire raging in a foothills portion of Orange County, officials at parent company Edison International (EI) said Tuesday. SCE earlier this week told state regulators the 11,000-acre Silverado Fire in Orange County was 5% contained, and there “was…

Southwest Gas Shrugs Off Covid-19 and Grows, Despite Economic, Energy Downturn
Las Vegas-based Southwest Gas Corp. (SWGas) continues to see its business units expand and expects that trend to continue, CEO John Hester said earlier this month. Covid-19 “is our No. 1 concern,” Hester said during the second quarter conference call. “We’re closely monitoring the impact on SWGas operations.” Demand to date is strong for services…

California Utilities Indicate Power Infrastructure Ready for Wildfire Season Begins
California’s investor-owned utilities (IOU), whose infrastructure has caused numerous major wildfires in recent years, are prepared for this year’s fire season, including how planned power outages should limit customer impact, executives told regulators. As two fires were raging in Southern California, utility executives in separate hearings over the past week said infrastructure had been hardened…

Spire Pledges to Create Carbon Neutral Natural Gas Utility System by 2050
With 1.8 million natural gas customers across Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri, Spire Inc. announced that it is committing to reduce methane emissions by 53% by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2050. The St. Louis-based company said it is one of the first natural gas companies in the country to take the carbon neutral pledge.…

Trump Administration’s NEPA Update to Limit Federal Infrastructure Review for Natural Gas, Oil Pipelines and More
The White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on Wednesday announced a final rule updating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, a controversial move designed to limit reviews of proposed infrastructure projects, including natural gas and oil pipelines. The final rule would modernize environmental reviews, streamline infrastructure approvals and “reverse years of burdensome overregulation…

Coronavirus Philanthropy by Natural Gas, Oil Companies Ongoing Despite Moratoriums, Lockdown Orders Lifting
Though months have passed since the coronavirus pandemic first began to impact individuals and communities across the United States, many organizations have proven their determination by continuing to assist however they can. While many countries are emerging from lockdowns and showing signs of recovery, Royal Dutch Shell plc continues to assist in the global fight…

Natural Gas Utilities Ready to Assist as Covid-19 Lockdown Moratoriums Lifted
As areas of the United States begin transitioning to another new normal by slowly reopening to recover from Covid-19, some natural gas utilities are also shifting their pandemic policies and attempting to help their customers along the way. National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) President Brandon Presley has established a task force to focus…