News Briefs

Last week, President-elect Donald Trump announced he had chosen Chris Wright, CEO of oil services company Liberty Energy, to nominate for Secretary of Energy.

The Illinois legislature is considering banning carbon dioxide sequestration near underground drinking water supplies after leaks were revealed at a carbon sequestration site in Decatur.

The U.S. Department of Energy moved forward Wednesday with an agreement to provide up to $1.2 billion in federal funding for projects in Houston that would produce hydrogen from water and from natural gas.

President-elect Donald Trump proposed the four-term former GOP congressman, who ran unsuccessfully for New York governor, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

A company has proposed another new liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Louisiana, a state with multiple LNG projects already operating and under review.

Plans continue to expand for a proposed natural gas liquids pipeline stretching from near the Texas-New Mexico state line into Southwest Louisiana.

The U.S. plastics industry has expanded rapidly in recent decades, fueled by record levels of natural gas production and billions of dollars in government subsidies.

An Oct. 29 application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build new natural gas pipeline segments across parts of the South is drawing scrutiny from environmental and community groups.

The expansion of hub in Mississippi where salt caverns are used to store natural gas is one step closer to approval after a review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The number of orphaned oil and gas wells in Louisiana is growing, with the state agency in charge of addressing them unable to keep pace, according to a recent report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.

A chemical recycling plant in Tyler, Texas, shut down this summer after formerly announcing plans for a major expansion next year to make it the largest pyrolysis operation in the world.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has scheduled multiple hearings on a liquified natural gas import facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that is under fire from community, religious, and environmental groups.

An American oil & gas company and two Japanese firms are studying a proposal to ship carbon dioxide (CO₂) from Japan for disposal in Alaska.

Federal authorities are lending support for a project to expand the production of fuel from agricultural products near an existing oil refinery in central Montana.

A company that has long planned a fuel production plant in West Texas – with plans that have shifted over the years – has canceled its most recent permits.

Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission approved new rules for oil and gas development that will require operators to consider cumulative impacts of past, present, and future oil and gas development.

A hydrogen sulfide leak at the Pemex refinery in Deer Park, Texas, killed two workers and injured at least 35 others on Oct. 10. The Mexican oil company now faces multiple lawsuits.

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked construction on a new pipeline meant to deliver gas to a proposed power plant in Tennessee.

The Pemex Deer Park refinery east of Houston remains the worst source of benzene air pollution among U.S. refineries, as measured by the amount of the carcinogen measured by air monitors around the perimeter of the facility.

The city manager of Corpus Christi, Texas, told a local news outlet that the city is considering scaling up the capacity of a seawater desalination plant that would provide water for residents, oil refineries, and other heavy industry in the area.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold two virtual meetings on Oct. 29 on the Tioga Pathway Project, which would transport natural gas to pipelines that extend into New York state and beyond.

Eleven employees at a plastics facility in rural Tennessee were swept away by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene, with two of the survivors saying they were told not to evacuate until it was too late.

Agricultural company Archer-Daniels-Midland has halted its injection of carbon dioxide at its ethanol plant in Decatur, Illinois, after the discovery of a potential underground leak, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The North Dakota Public Service Commission approved a siting permit for the proposed Cerilon Gas-To-Liquids plant Williams County, North Dakota.

A company that operates natural gas and oil pipelines spanning multiple states is seeking a permit to store carbon dioxide at a site in western Nebraska.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold two virtual hearings this month on environmental issues associated with the proposed LNG export terminal southeast of New Orleans.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing on two projects to expand plastics production at Shintech’s Plaquemine facility.

As part of a planned $1.2 billion expansion of its chemical facility in East Texas, Eastman Chemical has filed for a permit to reprocess plastics.

ExxonMobil applied for tax breaks under Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program for a project that would add zero new jobs.

A Saudi-owned company will have to reapply for permits if it intends to go ahead with its construction of a proposed plant to make plastic ingredients.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is giving a Houston-based company another five years to complete a proposed liquified natural gas export facility in Florida.

A Louisiana state agency is planning a public hearing next month on a proposal to build a new chemical facility next to an existing chemical complex in St. Charles Parish.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a hearing next month on a proposal to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and inject it belowground in rural West Texas.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is holding public meetings across Texas this week and next regarding a proposed 690-mile natural gas pipeline.

A company planning a facility to directly capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air in southwestern Wyoming is pausing the project, citing competition for renewable energy from expanding data centers.

Construction is resuming on a partially completed liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Southeast Texas, though developers are seeking more time to finish the project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting and is seeking comments this month on a proposal to use underground salt caverns for natural gas storage in Southwest Louisiana.

The rush to develop sequestration projects in Louisiana continues with two more test wells for projects intended to store carbon dioxide produced from nearby heavy industry.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced is seeking comments on the scope of issues and environmental impacts for the proposed DeLa Express Pipeline.

The developer of a proposed natural gas export terminal on the southern tip of Texas is abandoning its plans to capture the facility’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Louisiana regulators gave an initial approval to a new ammonia production facility west of New Orleans.

A German chemical manufacturer is planning a new facility in Texas that would produce a raw ingredient used in in plexiglass and other materials.

The rush to develop carbon dioxide storage in Louisiana continues with a Houston-based company applying to drill two test wells in two parishes.

A natural gas pipeline expansion in Pennsylvania and New Jersey began operating last month.

On April 3, 2024, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) proposed a draft initial construction permit for W.R. Grace’s proposed chemical recycling plant in Columbia, Maryland.

A 16-year-old polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing facility south of Baton Rouge could continue to grow if Louisiana regulators approve proposed air permits.

An appeals court in Washington, D.C., last week ruled against two major South Texas liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is requesting public comments about environmental concerns related to the proposed Sabine Pass Stage 5 Expansion Project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, near the Texas border.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will hold a public meeting on the pending construction permit for the proposed Enbridge Ingleside Blue Ammonia Plant in San Patricio County, Texas, on September 5, 2024.

The Formosa Plastics Corporation announced on July 25 that they would expand polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production capacity at their Baton Rouge Plastics Plant in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

The Federal Energy Regulatory commission approved the addition of two new salt caverns at a nearly 15-year-old storage site in Jefferson County

The Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC) is requesting comments and will hold public meetings next week on a natural gas pipeline proposed by TC Energy.

A proposal by Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi to build the largest chemical plant of its kind in the world in the heavily industrialized area known as Cancer Alley got a green light from regulators last week.

On July 12, 2024, Air Products Blue Energy applied for permission from Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources to inject carbon dioxide into five carbon dioxide storage wells under Lake Maurepas in St. John the Baptist Parish.

Pipeline company ONEOK is planning a 230-mile pipeline to deliver more refined petroleum products, particularly jet fuel, to the Denver area.

On June 28, 2024, the Northwest Times of Indiana reported that Fulcrum Centerpoint’s plans for a plastics-to-fuels plant in Gary, Indiana, have been cancelled.

Louisiana regulators are proposing to allow the operation of a facility that would produce ammonia from natural gas near the Mississippi River west of New Orleans.

Louisiana regulators will allow a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans to discharge tens of millions of gallons a day of wastewater into the river and a nearby lake.

A partnership involving Chevron and two other international oil companies filed permit applications for six carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration wells in Southeast Texas.

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on a proposal to create a massive carbon dioxide (CO2) storage project in southwestern Wyoming.

A partially built liquified natural gas (LNG) export facility on the Texas-Louisiana state line received a draft operating permit last month from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Louisiana state regulators have scheduled two public hearings and are accepting comments this month on proposals to drill test wells for potential carbon dioxide storage sites.

The startup behind the first commercial facility in the U.S. to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere is planning two similar facilities in northwestern Louisiana.

In a 2-1 vote last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a liquified natural gas (LNG) export facility in a region of Louisiana that’s becoming a hotspot for gas export sites.

On June 20, 2024, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) republished a proposed modified draft wastewater dischargepermit for Dow/Union Carbide’s Seadrift Complex in Calhoun County, Texas, northof Corpus Christi.

On June 25, 2024, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced that OCI Clean Ammonia has applied for a permit to construct a second 3,000-metric-ton-per-dayliquid anhydrous ammonia production unit at its Beaumont Clean Ammonia Complex.

On June 14, 2024, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) proposed a modified draft wastewater permit for ONEOK’s Mont Belvieu NGL Fractionation Plant in Chambers County, Texas.

On June 21, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released an environmental assessment for an expansion project known as Midscale Trains 8 & 9Project at Cheniere’s Corpus Christi LNG facility in Texas.

The largest chemical company in the U.S. is planning to increase air emissions from a chemical manufacturing plant in the Beaumont, Texas, area.

Louisiana regulators have approved a roughly two-year delay for a construction start date for a planned liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Southwest Louisiana.

State regulators have scheduled a public hearing July 29 on a proposed ammonia facility near Corpus Christi, Texas, that could produce up to 800,000 metric tons per year for export.

On June 14, 2024, the Mountain Valley Pipeline began operating, according to a company filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The buyer of a southeast Louisiana oil refinery shuttered three years ago after storm damage filed a permit that, if granted, could allow it to restart the facility.

A liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans began generating power for its operations last month.