Inflation Reduction Act
PHMSA to Reassess Underground Natural Gas Storage Rule
On December 19, 2016, PHMSA issued an interim final rule (IFR) to establish for the first time minimum federal safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities. The rule was issued in response to the 2015 Aliso Canyon storage leak...
EPA Proposes Additional Two-Year Stay of Parts of the Methane Rule
On June 13, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a pre-publication proposed rule that would grant an additional two-year stay to the effectiveness of certain portions of the 2016 rule establishing methane emissions standards for the oil and...
DOT Requests Input Regarding Burdensome Regulatory Requirements
As part of his regulatory reform agenda , President Donald Trump instructed federal agencies to review their regulations to identify requirements that burden businesses and industry. See EO 13771 and EO 13777 . In order to comply with these directives...
U.S. Futures Exchanges Disciplinary Actions Report - May 2017
NYMEX NYMEX 16-0372-BC Misc. Violation of Rule 432.Q, 432.W – General Offenses Pursuant to a settlement offer, a panel found that from July 2015 through March 2016, a non-member trader was concomitantly operating market-making and market-taking automated trading systems during...
Offsite Drilling: Lightning Oil v. Anadarko and Its Potential Impact on Offsite Surface Use in Horizontal Drilling
As the global commodity price rout continues, operators have become hypersensitive to increasing efficiencies in order to lower break-even prices. Following a recovery in early 2016, oil prices have remained somewhat range-bound between roughly $45 and $55 per barrel for...
EPA Announces Reconsideration and Stay of Additional Parts of the Methane Rule
On May 26, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a pre-publication notice that announced the reconsideration and a three-month stay to the effectiveness of certain portions of the 2016 rule establishing methane emissions standards for the oil and...
Technical Advisory Committee Meeting Scheduled on Gas Mega Rule
The Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) will meet [Notice of advisory committee meeting ] in Washington, D.C. early next month to convene the second public meeting regarding PHMSA’s proposed gas rules, often referred to as the gas mega rule. The...
U.S. Futures Exchanges Disciplinary Actions Report - April 2017
For the first time since we began the monthly Disciplinary Actions Report there were no disciplinary notices on the exchanges we monitor. Of course, there continue to be pending, non-public matters and more notices to come.
Pipeline Safety Management Systems: Reflections on Implementation of API 1173
The Pipeline Safety Management System (SMS) industry standard API RP 1173 was published in July 2015 and developed by API with input from NTSB, PHMSA, states, and industry representatives, following the 2010 oil pipeline accident in Marshall, Michigan. The standard’s...
The First 100 Days: Executive Directives Impacting the Oil & Gas Pipeline Industry
President Trump has issued 30 Executive Orders and 28 Executive Memoranda since taking office on January 20, 2017, despite his failure to pass any major laws. That is more Executive Orders than any President has issued in the first 100...
Insights to PHMSA Enforcement and Rulemaking under the Trump Administration
Since the Trump Administration took office, oil and gas industry stakeholders have questioned whether pending PHMSA rulemakings will move forward, whether the rate of PHMSA enforcement will continue, and whether agency priorities will change. The API conference held in San...
EPA Postpones Compliance Dates for More Stringent Requirements for Discharges from Coal Fired Power Plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken two recent actions that have resulted in postponement of the compliance dates for more stringent requirements in the effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the steam electric power generating point source category...
Industry Responds to U.S. Made Pipe Directive
Industry trade groups anticipate construction delays and cancelations, higher costs, and consumer impacts if the Trump administration’s January 24, 2017 Executive Memorandum , requiring that all new and repaired pipe be made in the U.S., is implemented. In comments filed...
EPA Announces Methane Rule Reconsideration, Adding to List of Obama-Era Rules Under Review
On April 18, 2017, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the EPA will convene a proceeding for reconsideration of certain elements of the 2016 rule establishing methane emissions standards for the oil and gas industry (“Methane...