Regulatory

Vermont regulators have agreed to allow Vermont Gas Systems Inc. to complete construction of a 41-mile natural gas pipeline extension in the western part of the state, after the utility agreed to cap the amount it would recover from ratepayers for the project. The cost of the project has increased more than 78% since it was approved two years ago.

European regulators have launched the second phase of an antitrust investigation concerning the mega-merger of Halliburton Ltd. and Baker Hughes Inc.

In response to the natural gas storage well leak and resulting community unrest at the Aliso Canyon underground storage field, California lawmakers on Monday introduced three bills aimed at preventing a recurrence, stiffening state regulations and minimizing reliance on underground storage to the extent energy reliability concerns will permit.

In his final State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama touted America’s success in developing renewables like wind and solar but, unlike previous speeches, omitted any reference to the role of natural gas in securing the nation’s energy future.

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives, along mostly partisan lines, joined their Senate colleagues on Wednesday in passing a resolution disapproving of the Obama administration’s plan to rewrite the controversial Clean Water Rule (CWR).

The oil and natural gas industry is failing to adequately report methane leaks from the U.S. oil/gas supply chain, according to a report aimed at investors released Monday by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

In California generally and for Edison International’s Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) utility particularly, the future role of natural gas in power generation is dwindling in response to a long-standing state water ban causing the closing or repowering of coastal gas-fired plants and more recently from the state’s aggressive climate change policies. Reliability needs, however, will keep some gas-fired generation in the mix for some time.

In separate filings Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) joined Spectra Energy Partners LP in asking FERC to extend the comment period for changes to its Guidance Manual for Environmental Report Preparation.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has scheduled a hearing in March to gather information on alternative ratemaking methodologies for the state’s natural gas and electric utilities as it explores better ways to promote energy efficiency and conservation programs.