Tag Archives: EIA

Oil (Palmetto) vs. gas (Sabal Trail) pipelines at FERC

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FERC’s role for oil pipelines is different than for natural gas pipelines. FERC doesn’t actively promote petroleum products pipelines through federal eminent domain like it does for fracked methane; instead it leaves oil pipeline eminent domain to the states, which for Georgia seems to mostly mean the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

FERC’s website says about Regulating Oil Pipelines:

The Commission’s responsibilities include:

  • Regulation of rates and practices of oil pipeline companies engaged in interstate transportation;
  • Establishment of equal service conditions to provide shippers with equal access to pipeline transportation; and
  • Establishment of reasonable rates for transporting petroleum and petroleum products by pipeline.

So Kinder Morgan’s Palmetto petroleum products Project does fall under FERC, but not the same way as for Sabal Trail’s fracked methane pipeline.

These FERC oil roles help explain why Continue reading Oil (Palmetto) vs. gas (Sabal Trail) pipelines at FERC →

LNG exports would drive up domestic natural gas prices

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EIA’s summary: “Increased LNG exports lead to increased natural gas prices”. How can that be “consistent with the public interest” when there’s a cheaper, faster, cleaner, and safer way that would not push domestic natural gas prices up, namely solar and wind power? So even if the Sabal Trail pipeline wouldn’t take your land, risk your family and drinking water, or cost your taxes to pay for any leaks or explosions, if it exports through even those three already-authorized LNG export operations where it leads in Florida, it would run up the price of natural gas in the U.S. You don’t even have to believe T. Boone Pickens: you can read this eia report that was commissioned by the very same Office of Fossil Energy that authorized those three LNG export operations.

U.S. Energy Information Administraiton, 29 October 2014, Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports on U.S. Energy Markets, Continue reading LNG exports would drive up domestic natural gas prices →

WALB in Albany, GA notices New England Spectra pipeline plans

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A Spectra is haunting New England and the Canadian Maritimes, as well as the U.S. southeast, seeking every market for its fracked methane pipelines, sliming lands along the way. Local media are starting to pay attention to the big picture, not just the local hauntings, such as Spectra’s proposed Sabal Trail Transmission 36-inch 100-foot right of way gash through the southeast. Spectra didn’t say, but those markets could include LNG export from Excelerate Energy’s Northeast Gateway in Massachusetts Bay or the proposed Goldboro LNG export terminal in Nova Scotia. If LNG export happens, the price of “natural” gas in the U.S. and Canada will go up.

WALB TV in Albany, GA ran this PR from Spectra Energy 1 July 2014, Spectra Energy Announces Plans to Further Expand New England Pipeline Systems; Continue reading WALB in Albany, GA notices New England Spectra pipeline plans →

The Halliburton fracking Loophole and LNG exports

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So FE proposes to follow the law, NEPA, specifically. How about we also repeal the Halliburton Loophole in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPA2005) that enables fracking and LNG exports?

The Office of Fossil Energy (FE)’s parent U.S. Department of Energy (DoE)’s writeup on EPA2005 doesn’t mention its fracking effects or liquid natural gas (LNG) storage or export. FERC’s writeup spells out that EPA2005 not just enabled but required LNG export:

Mandatory within 60 days after date of enactment

Continue reading The Halliburton fracking Loophole and LNG exports →

LNG export approval pause puts FERC on hook for EIAs

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FERC won’t be able to say it doesn’t know anything about LNG exports anymore, with this plan to require FERC environmental assessments before FE authorization. But this does nothing about the FE authorizations aleady granted, including the three at the end of the Transco -> Sabal -> FSC pipeline. A better idea: cancel LNG exports and build solar power instead.

Jennifer A. Dlouhy wrote for Fuelfix 30 May 2014, Winners and losers in feds’ new gas export review plan,

The Energy Department intends to scrap a two-year-old approach for considering applications to export LNG to countries that don’t have free trade agreements with the United States. Instead of reviewing them in the order they were filed, as the agency largely does now, the Energy Department would first tackle those that have already cleared an expensive, time-consuming environmental assessment typically done by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Sen. Ed Markey’s statement of 29 May 2014, Markey Commends DOE Move to Study Impacts of Large-scale Natural Gas Exports, heads in the right direction but doesn’t go far enough: Continue reading LNG export approval pause puts FERC on hook for EIAs →