Energy

Pipeline Construction Project Water Permit Revoked

In a letter sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection announced it has withdrawn a water quality certification previously issued in March for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. “This decision will allow the agency to re-evaluate the complete applica..

Pipeline Construction Project Application Temporarily Suspended

The National Energy Board in Canada has agreed to suspend its review of TransCanada’s Energy East and Eastern Mainline projects for 30 days, following a request from the company. During this period, the board will not issue further decisions or take further steps concerning the review of the projec..

Developers Ask Regulators to OK Atlantic Coast Pipeline Soon

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Developers of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline are asking federal regulators to approve the project this month. Executives with Dominion Energy, Duke Energy and Southern Company Gas made the request in a letter Thursday to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The 600-..

Federal Agency Approves Use of Ohio Natural Gas Pipeline

COLUMBUS (AP) – A federal agency has given a company permission to begin using completed sections of its high-pressure natural gas pipeline in Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch reports the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has told Dallas-based Energy Transfer it can use its completed 42-inch diameter..

Permits OK'd for Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline

CONESTOGA, Pa. (AP) — A company building a controversial $3 billion pipeline to carry natural gas from northeastern Pennsylvania to southern states has been granted critical permits for construction. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Thursday approved water-crossing permits..

FERC OK's Construction of Major Gas Pipeline

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved construction of the 255-mile NEXUS Transmission Pipeline Project, which will transport 1.5 Bcf/d of clean-burning natural gas from receipt points in eastern Ohio to existing pipeline system interconnects in southeastern Michigan. FERC issu..

Pipeline Company Response to Settlement Offer Not Disclosed

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The company that built the Dakota Access pipeline has responded to an offer by North Dakota regulators to settle state allegations that it improperly reported the discovery of American Indian artifacts during construction. But the response from Energy Transfer Partners isn’t b..

Judge Grants Pipeline Easements on Holdout Properties

COLUMBIA, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge in Pennsylvania says a gas pipeline company can seize easements it needs from five final holdout property owners including land owned by nuns on which activists built an outdoor chapel to protest the project. Wednesday’s ruling means Transcontinental Pipe Line C..

New Pollinator Habitats to be Established Along Proposed Pipeline Route

In a video released today, Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC, composed of Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Southern Company Gas, announced an initiative to create new habitats for butterflies, bees and other pollinator insects along the route of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline...

Protesters Briefly Shut Down Line 3 Pipeline Construction

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — Protesters opposing the replacement of Enbridge Energy’s aging Line 3 oil pipeline shut down construction in northern Wisconsin for a brief time. Enbridge spokeswoman Jennifer Smith says a group of about 20 protesters entered a worksite outside Superior on Monday and van..

SoCalGas Streamlines Processes to Support Renewable Gas Projects

Southern California Gas Co. has announced new initiatives that will make it easier for renewable gas production facilities to connect to the company’s natural gas pipeline system. First is the creation of a downloadable toolkit to help renewable gas producers and developers who are interested in in..

NTSB: Worker Urged Evacuation Before Minnesota School Blast

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A maintenance worker at a Minneapolis school that partially collapsed after an explosion earlier this month had smelled natural gas and used a radio to tell others to evacuate less than a minute before the blast, according to preliminary report released Monday by the National Tran..

Appeals Court: FERC Missed in Pipeline Review

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington appeals court says federal energy regulators fell short in evaluating the environmental impact of a natural gas pipeline that’s carrying gas through Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday agreed with the..

Colorado Won't Put Oil-Gas Pipeline Map Online

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says the state won’t offer an online map of oil and gas pipelines after a fatal house explosion that was blamed on a leaking pipe, citing security concerns. Hickenlooper said Tuesday Colorado will instead expand an existing service that allows people to..

Colorado to Tighten Pipeline Rules After Fatal Gas Explosion

DENVER (AP) — Colorado officials say they will strengthen regulations for oil and gas pipelines to reduce the chances of another home explosion like one that killed two people in April. Gov. John Hickenlooper announced the rule-tightening on Tuesday. It’s one of seven steps recommended by state reg..

Saginaw Trail Pipeline Construction Begins

Consumers Energy has started construction on the Saginaw Trail Pipeline, a five-year, approximately $610 million project in Saginaw, Genesee and Oakland counties to increase natural gas reliability and safety in Michigan. Crews of about 450 union skilled trades workers from Consumers Energy and con..

Pressure Mounts on Officials Weighing Pipeline Projects

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Pressure is mounting on Virginia officials to slow or reconsider the water quality certifications they intend to issue for a pair of natural gas pipeline projects. The Richmond Times Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/2weTFJn) that hundreds attended public hearings this month to e..

Police Investigating Natural Gas Explosion in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska authorities have launched an investigation into a natural gas explosion that seriously injured two people, leveled a house and significantly damaged nearly 20 other homes in Lincoln. Police are focusing on the home where authorities believe the explosion occurred Monda..

Court Rules New York Had Power to Deny Key Pipeline Permit

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — In a decision held up as an affirmation of the right of states to reject major oil and gas infrastructure, a federal court ruled Friday that New York acted properly when it blocked plans for a 124-mile natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania’s shale fields. The U.S. Court o..

North Carolina Agency Getting More Public Input on Pipeline

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — The public is getting more formal opportunities to speak up about a proposed natural gas pipeline running through eastern North Carolina. The state Department of Environmental Quality scheduled three “listening sessions” this week on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline projec..

Company: Pipeline Construction Project Was Sabotaged

CANTON (AP) – Officials from the company building twin high-pressure natural gas pipelines across northern Ohio have told federal regulators that sabotage or leaky equipment caused drilling slurry to become contaminated while cleaning up a spill near the Tuscarawas River. The Canton Repository repo..

Pipeline Construction Project Gets Favorable Ruling

CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal magistrate in Akron has dealt a significant blow to efforts by some Ohio property owners to stop a high-pressure natural gas pipeline from being built. U.S. Magistrate Kathleen Burke in a written recommendation filed Monday said the U.S. District Court in northern Ohio la..

Tribes Want Dakota Pipeline Shut Down, But Offer Fallback Plan

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — American Indian tribes fighting the Dakota Access oil pipeline are asking a judge to shut down the line while more environmental review is conducted, but they’ve also presented a fallback plan should the judge disagree. The “alternative relief” that Standing Rock Sioux attorne..

Virginia Citizens Can Weigh in on Pipeline Water Quality Conditions

HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) – Virginia environmental officials are hearing from residents this week about steps the state is taking to protect water quality along the routes of two proposed natural gas pipelines. The Department of Environmental Quality is considering whether to issue what’s called a “40..

Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Gets Favorable Ruling

CONESTOGA, Pa. (AP) – A federal judge in Pennsylvania says authorities can condemn and seize property in order to make way for the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline. U.S. Eastern District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl has issued an order that gave Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company the right to condemn a..

School Blast Investigators Probing Gas Meter Work

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Workers may have been moving a gas meter when an explosion tore through a Minneapolis school building this week, killing two people and injuring at least nine others, according to federal investigators. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Minneapolis T..

NTSB Investigates Explosion that Killed 2 at Minnesota School

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were sent to a Minneapolis school Thursday to look into an apparent natural gas explosion and partial building collapse that killed two people and injured at least nine, including one critically. The explosion at Minneha..

Report: Pipeline Review Underestimated Forest Fragmentation

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) – The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation along with several state agencies say an analysis by the Mountain Valley Pipeline on the project’s impact on intact forests underestimated the effects by more than 300 percent. The Roanoke Times reports that in a July 21 fil..

FERC Issues New Natural Gas Project Guidelines

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Office of Energy Projects has finalized its revised Guidelines for Reporting on Cultural Resources Investigations for Natural Gas Projects, which were issued in draft form on January 25, 2017, for comment. The guidelines have been altere..

Natural Gas Council Releases Resilience, Reliability Guide

The Natural Gas Council, which collectively represents companies that produce, transport and deliver clean, affordable natural gas throughout the United States, has released a white paper, “Natural Gas: Reliable and Resilient”  highlighting the operational measures, physical characteristics and cont..