pipelines
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 24, 2024
GHG Emissions: Department of Energy Publishes Guidance for Zero Emissions Buildings ⚡
On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a document titled “National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building.” The guidance document provides a standardized definition by identifying the minimum criteria for a building to be considered zero-emissions as the following: “(1) energy efficient, (2) free of on-site emissions from energy use, and (3) powered solely from clean energy.” In its announcement, DOE states that this standardized definition “will help advance next-generation clean energy solutions, drive innovation, and tackle the climate crisis, while supporting […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 10, 2024
Landscape Issues: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Allocates $5.6 Million for Environmental Restoration Projects on Abandoned Mine Lands ⚡
On May 13, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced it allocated over $5.6 million in grants from funds received through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for eight environmental restoration projects on abandoned mine lands. These funds are being allocated through the Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage Grant Program. Significant allocations include $2.7 million to the Allegheny Land Trust for restoration of the Chalfant Run watershed in Allegheny County and $1.9 million to the […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of May 20, 2024
National Energy Policy: DOE Announces Actions to Advance American Artificial Intelligence ⚡
On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced several actions intended to advance the use and safety of artificial intelligence across a variety of fields including modernizing the electrical grid, clean energy, national security, climate forecasting, environmental modeling, and emergency response. DOE also published a report titled “AI For Energy: Opportunities for Modern Grid and Clean Energy Economy,” which specifically discusses “AI’s near-term potential to support the growth of America’s clean energy economy and Advanced Research Directions in AI For Energy, a report developed […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of April 15, 2024
National Energy Policy: USDA Funds Clean Energy Projects for PA Farmers and Rural Businesses ⚡
On March 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will be investing $5.69 million in 31 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across 12 Pennsylvania counties. This investment is part of the March announcement of $120 million in Inflation Reduction Funds being allocated across 44 states through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The USDA stated that selected REAP projects help farmers and rural business owners “lower energy costs, generate new income and create jobs” by utilizing clean energy and increasing […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 11, 2024
Pipelines: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Publishes Updated Safety Standards for Intrastate HVL Transport ⚡
On February 22, 2024, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) published a Final Form Rulemaking Order (FFRO) to establish state specific safety standards for the intrastate transport of highly volatile liquids (HVLs) by public utilities. The FFRO amends the standards currently outlined in 52 Pa. Code §§ 59.1—59.111. Among the updated safety standards are revamped processes for reporting accidents and notification the PUC and community members of construction. The FFRO also adds spacing and location requirements for where construction on new and existing pipelines can […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 4, 2024
State Regulation: Colorado Limits Government Use of Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment ⚡
In February 2024, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) formally adopted a new regulation first announced in December 2023, that limits the use of gas-powered lawn equipment by state agencies. The new regulation is only applicable during summer months, beginning June 2025, and affects local and state agencies differently. Local agencies within the nine-county span of the North Front Range Ozone Nonattainment area are prohibited from using lawn equipment with more than 10-horsepower on public property. State agencies are restricted statewide from using equipment with engines exceeding […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of February 26, 2024
Methane Emissions: DOE and EPA Announce Intent to Fund Methane Mitigation ⚡
On February 9, 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their intent to make Inflation Reduction Act funds available for mitigating methane, a “super pollutant.” The Methane Emissions Reduction Program will seek to target the oil and natural gas supply chain by funding projects to reduce emissions at existing wells and assets, while also developing new mitigation technologies and measuring systems to aid in identifying and fixing methane leaks. These projects will include collaboration between the oil and gas sector and DOE […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of February 12, 2024
National Energy Policy: DOE Finalizes Efficiency Standards for Cooking Products ⚡
On January 29, 2024, pursuant to a Congressional directive, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a direct final rule updating energy efficiency standards for residential cooking products. The DOE stated that these updates will reduce household utility costs over a period of thirty years by $1.6 billion, while preserving “consumer-desired features” and improving appliance performance. The updates echo the joint recommendation of a variety of interested parties, including appliance manufacturing, energy efficiency, and consumer advocacy groups. DOE states that most stove models on the market today already […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of February 5, 2024
Oil and Gas Leasing: BOEM Publishes Final Procedures for Bid Adequacy in Lease Sales ⚡
On Monday, January 22, 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published final revisions to the bid adequacy procedures for offshore oil and gas lease sales. The final procedures yielded no significant changes from the proposed revisions that were published and available for comment in the Federal Register in January 2023. BOEM states that these revisions will simplify bid adequacy determinations by eliminating steps in the existing process, including tract classification. This methodology update evaluates a tract’s fair market value and uses that to […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of January 8, 2024
Pipelines: Michigan Public Services Commission Approves Upgrades to Enbridge Energy LP’s Pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac ⚡
On December 1, 2023, the Michigan Public Services Commission (Commission) announced the approval of an application filed by Enbridge Energy LP to replace segments of their pipeline on the lakebed of the Straits of Mackinac with a single pipeline dug into a tunnel below the lakebed. The Commission noted that the project met a public need to provide customers with fuel by cost-effective and safe means and to preserve the lake’s ecology by avoiding other less safe transportation methods. The Commission also […]
