Oil/Gas Pipelines
New leak detection rules for pipelines proposed
(UI) — The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed major changes to its leak detection based not on concerns about safety but, rather, in order to reduce methane emissions related to their contribution to climate change.
ConocoPhillips facing $914,000 fine over Alaskan underground gas blowout
ConocoPhillips Alaska faces a potential $914,000 fine over what a state regulatory agency called a “shallow underground blowout” of a well that released natural gas at the company’s Alpine field on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope last year.
Wellington City Council adopts digital map for underground infrastructure management
(UI) — The Wellington Underground Asset Map, backed by a $4 million investment, aims to revolutionize the installation and maintenance of buried infrastructure, including telecommunications cables, gas pipes, and other vital services.
Judge not inclined to shut down pipeline, pleads with Wisconsin tribe to work with oil company
A federal judge said Thursday he is unlikely to force an energy company to shut down an oil pipeline in northern Wisconsin, despite arguments from a Native American tribe that the line is at immediate risk of being exposed by erosion and rupturing on reservation land.
Consultants: Design issues, operations lapses led to big Keystone pipeline oil spill
Pipeline design issues, lapses by its operators and problems caused during its construction led to a massive oil spill on the Keystone pipeline system in northeastern Kansas, according to a report for U.S. government regulators.
Washington Watch: Congress unusually active on pipeline issues
(UI) — This could be one of the most impactful congressional years for the pipeline industry in decades. Besides the start of work on the next pipeline safety bill, the House passed a big energy bill (H.R. 1) by a vote of 225–204, with four Democrats joining Republicans in the affirmative.
Federal agency aims to reduce methane leaks with new natural gas pipeline rules
The proposal by the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration would significantly improve the detection and repair of leaks from natural gas pipelines, keep more product in the pipes and prevent dangerous accidents, officials said
Enbridge to acquire underground natural gas storage for $295 million
Aitken Creek Storage is an underground reservoir located 75 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Fort St. John, B.C., and is the largest and only underground natural gas storage facility in B.C., totaling 77 billion cubic feet of working gas capacity.
Shawcor expands spoolable composite pipe, underground fuel, water storage capabilities
Shawcor Ltd. will be expanding its Composite Systems segment production capabilities in the US with commitments for two new operating facilities. Capital expenditures for these operating facilities are expected to represent, in the aggregate, approximately $60 million across 2023 and 2024.
NV5 awarded $16 million utility gas pipeline design, support contracts in California
NV5 will provide engineering design, plan review, permitting support, and municipal consulting services for asset integrity management and pipeline improvements to support the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas.
Mountain Valley Pipeline loses water permit for West Virginia pipeline
A company building a long-delayed natural gas pipeline has lost a key water permit after a federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia didn’t adequately assess the impact of building the Mountain Valley Pipeline across streams and wetlands.
US cities win nearly $200 million in grants for pipeline upgrades
Federal officials announced the first $196 million of grants Wednesday in a $1 billion program to repair and replace aging and sometimes leaking natural gas pipelines across the country.
Mountain Valley secures water permits for pipeline project in Virginia
(UI) — The 303-mile proposed pipeline is permitted to pass through the state's streams and wetlands thanks to a permit issued by Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality, according to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Army Corps further delays decision on Great Lakes oil tunnel
The Army Corps' Detroit district office said it revised the schedule after receiving more than 17,000 public comments during an initial “scoping” period. The agency in December ordered Enbridge to redo measurement of wetlands that could be damaged from roads and structures for tunnel construction.
First Look: Discover Advanced Mobile Leak Detection detects pipeline gas leak immediately
(UI) — The key to discovering and repairing natural gas leaks before they become catastrophic is more vigilance, and that’s what Heath Consultants is striving to achieve with its new Discover Advanced Mobile Leak Detection (AMLD) system.
Burleigh County will require permits for pipeline set to store carbon underground
County commissioners voted 4-0 Monday night with one member absent to approve the proposal. Commissioners, however, acknowledged the ordinance is likely to draw a lawsuit from carbon-capture pipeline developer Summit Carbon Solutions, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
EXA deploys Infinera’s fiber optic solution across European submarine cable system
This project creates a unique fiber optic network connecting Milan, Tirana, Athens, Sofia, and Istanbul with high-quality, high-performance, and ultra-reliable digital infrastructure.
Kansas lawmakers fear oil spills from Keystone pipeline due to frequent earthquakes
Several lawmakers said they are nervous about the pipeline in the Wichita area, about 160 miles south of the Washington County spill site. The area began experiencing an increase in earthquakes in 2013, after Keystone opened its Kansas pipeline segment, tied to activities associated with hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in oil and natural gas production.
HDD and HDPE — The Perfect Match
The latest revision of ASTM F1962, approved in 2022, contains a significant change by providing the physical properties for the most-recent, high-density polyethylene material, PE4710. This material is significantly tougher than older, previous polyethylene products, facilitating successful completion of more complicated, difficult maxi-HDD projects.
FERC Moves Forward Tentatively on Pipeline Rates, Affiliates
A blog post from the law firm Akin Gump stated: “FERC policy often uses the ‘last litigated ROE’ as a proxy for just and reasonable rates when it is developing initial rates for existing facilities being acquired by a new pipeline.
Construction entities call for punishment for pipeline attacks, improved mapping in pipeline safety
(UI) — The Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) and the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) have published a letter urging Congress to take action to address the enduring problem of physical attacks on critical energy infrastructure.
Editor’s Log: Stampede
(UI) — The President Biden Administration’s narrative has been to mercilessly shun, blame and attack “big-oil” companies, gas companies and any pipeline ever built as the root of environmental evil. The President has used his bully pulpit to supplement his unending rules and regulations against oil and gas, as the way to achieve the “carbon-free” goal of his zealous backers.
NA Pipeline Construction Outlook
(UI) — Seldom has a new year arrived with the degree of supply and demand uncertainty facing global energy markets at the start of 2023. Months of soaring oil and natural gas prices gave way in late 2022 as oil demand projections softened on recessionary fears and Europe’s months-long buying spree filled its natural gas storage levels to near capacity.
Washington Watch: EPA Ups Ante on Pipeline Methane Emissions
(UI) — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has once again proposed to tighten the vise on interstate pipeline methane emissions. Its supplemental Clean Air regulatory proposal, in November this year, doubles down on a never-finalized recommended rule issued in November 2021, which the transmission industry slammed for unrealistic emission controls.
EPA, TC Energy agree to clean up oil discharge from Keystone pipeline rupture
(UI) — TC Oil Pipeline Operations Inc. has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up the oil discharge that occurred Dec. 7 in Washington County, Kansas, as a result of a rupture in a section of the Keystone Pipeline.
Damaged section of Keystone pipeline to be examined following explosion
(UC) — TC Energy has until early March, or 90 days after PHMSA issued a corrective action order, to complete the metallurgical test in order to determine the primary factors that contributed to the line's failure.
PODS releases new data model, standard with ILI module for pipeline operators
(UC) — The Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS) data model provides the database architecture pipeline operators need to submit regulatory reports, store critical information, analyze pipeline systems data, and manage geospatial data in a linear-referenced database which can be visualized in any GIS platform.
Company starting to recover oil from Kansas pipeline spill
The company operating a pipeline that spilled about 14,000 bathtubs' worth of oil into a Kansas creek during a test for potential problems is recovering at least a small portion of the crude.
Washington Watch: FERC Rejects Environmental Concerns About Gas Pipeline Projects
(UC) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) continues to dispatch environmental objections to pipeline projects. Even Chairman Richard Glick, who had originally made reducing greenhouse gas emissions his guiding light, is turning a deaf ear.
Oil spill in rural Kansas creek shuts down Keystone pipeline
Canada-based TC Energy said it shut down its Keystone system Wednesday night following a drop in pipeline pressure. It said oil spilled into a creek in Washington County, Kansas, about 150 miles (241 km) northwest of Kansas City.
- Deadline to submit abstracts for Underground Infrastructure Conference's 30th anniversary education program extended to July 19
- Drilling under the LSU campus
- OSHA investigation launched after worker found unconscious in Kansas City, Mo., sewer pipe
- 26th annual directional drilling survey: More fuel on the fire
- Restoring power to Minnesota’s northwest angle
- Vermeer Debuts New Horizontal Directional Drill
- Sewer maintenance: Myth-busting, best-practice training
- Berkeley pushes PG&E to bury power lines to mitigate wildfire risk
- Houston faces hurdles in transitioning to underground power lines amid severe weather concerns
- Calgary declares state of emergency over water pipeline repairs