News of the Day: Norway will slow down onshore wind power developments
OIL
DNR to complete its review of BP sale this week
Tegan Hanlon, Alaska’s Energy Desk, June 21, 2020
The state Department of Natural Resources says it expects to complete its review of the BP-Hilcorp deal by the end of the week, allowing the oil companies to close part of the $5.6 billion sale by June 30 — about 10 months after BP announced its plans to exit Alaska. DNR Commissioner Corri Feige provided the update Friday at a 40-minute meeting with the governor’s oversight committee for the transaction. She said the oil companies could first close the piece of the sale that includes BP’s stakes in Milne Point and the massive Prudhoe Bay oilfield, as state regulators continue to review another key part of the deal.
GAS
From the Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy:
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FINALIZES RULE TO ALLOW LNG TRANSPORT BY RAIL: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, an agency of the Department of Transportation, issued a final rule Friday authorizing the bulk transportation by rail of liquified natural gas.
“The Department’s new rule carefully lays out key operational safeguards to provide for the safe transportation of LNG by rail to more parts of the country where this energy source is needed,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Under current law, LNG can only be transported by ships, trucks, and, with special approval by the Federal Railroad Administration, in United Nations-approved portable tanks that can be mounted on top of railcars. The National Transportation Safety Board, an independent government agency, argued when the rule was proposed that it “would be detrimental to public safety.”
Buyers of U.S. LNG to Cancel 40-45 Cargoes for August Loading: Sources
Pipeline & Gas Journal, June 22, 2020
Buyers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are expected to cancel 40 to 45 cargoes for August loading from the United States due to a slow recovery in Asian gas demand and record high European gas stocks, market sources said on Monday.
MINING
Industry supports US Abandoned Mine Lands Compromise Bill
John Williams, Global Mining Review, June 22, 2020
The National Mining Association (NMA) has offered its support for Senator John Barrasso’s (R-Wy.) ‘Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fee Reauthorization Act of 2020.’ Although the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) fee was set to expire in 2021, while extending the fee, this new compromise legislation will help bring the programme into closer alignment with its intended purpose: to clean up orphaned coal mining sites. “Among industry’s primary concerns with the programme have been the diversion of funds away from their intended purpose – the reclamation of coal mines that were abandoned prior to 1977 – and the lack of oversight to ensure expended funds are used properly,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO. “This legislation will help to refocus the programme on priority reclamation projects and examine the oversight required to ensure funds are not squandered on overhead and administrative costs.” Originally created in 1977, the AML fee is set to expire on September 30, 2021; Sen. Barrasso’s bill would extend the fee until 2028.
POLITICS
Legislating Energy Poverty: A Case Study of How California’s and New York’s Climate Change Policies Are Increasing Energy Costs and Hurting the Economy
Wayne Winegarden, Pacific Research Institute
Bottom Line: Widespread adoption of the CA-NY approach to climate change will impose large economic costs on the country while not necessarily leading to larger reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Embracing the fracking revolution and increasing the use of natural gas has been able to achieve what California and New York have not: lowering GHG emissions while also promoting strong economic growth.