Blogs

EIA Reports Storage Decrease of 115 Bcf to Put Working Gas Storage at 2,494 Bcf

By Audrey Casey posted 4 days ago
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Here is the weekly EIA Summary Report issued on Thursday, February 13, which reports the week’s storage report highlights for Friday, February 7. A 115 Bcf decrease has been reported. Working gas in storage was 2,494 Bcf as of Friday, February 7, 2020, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net decrease of 115 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 601 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 215 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,279 Bcf. At 2,494 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
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APGA Submits Testimony Regarding Concerns with Building Codes Legislation

By Stuart Saulters posted 4 days ago
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On February 12, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy held a congressional hearing titled, Saving Energy: Legislation to Improve Energy Efficiency and Storage. The event allowed for the representatives to receive input from the Under Secretary of Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on six bills. Of most impact to APGA members was H.R. 3962, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act. There are significant negative impacts on the building code development and implementation processes in this legislation. The APGA testimony that was submitted highlights these concerns. In addition to this, several members of the ...
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Process Rule Expected to Publish in the Federal Register this Week

By Stuart Saulters posted 4 days ago
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APGA staff have been in communication with personnel from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) since the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced their plans to publish the final Process Rule, as well as issue a new, related Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNOPR) on clarifying the procedures that evaluate the economic justification of new or amended energy conservation standards. On February 13, APGA learned both these will publish in the Federal Register on February 14. They can be viewed on the Federal Register Public Inspection site at this time. Click here for the Final Process Rule and here for the SNOPR. The ...
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President Re-Nominates James Danly to Serve on FERC

By Dave Schryver posted 4 days ago
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President Trump has re-nominated James Danly to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in a seat that would expire on June 30, 2023. Mr. Danly serves as FERC General Counsel. Prior to joining FERC, Mr. Danly was a member of the energy regulation and litigation group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP. The President nominated Mr. Danly last year and his nomination was approved in November on a 12-8 vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, but the nomination never came before the full Senate, which is why he had to be re-nominated with the start of the second session of the 116th Congress. APGA leadership meets with ...
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NARUC Approves Resolution Supporting Refund Authority for Natural Gas Act

By Dave Schryver posted 4 days ago
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On February 12, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) approved a resolution expressing support for the passage of federal legislation to amend the Natural Gas Act and provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with the authority to order refunds when it has been demonstrated that a pipeline has over-collected. NARUC represents the state public service commissions who regulate the utilities that provide energy, telecommunications, power, water, and transportation services. NARUC's members include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. APGA has long-pushed for the passage of legislation ...
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APGA Research Foundation Holds Emerging Technology Program Workshop in Houston

By Michael Brady posted 11 days ago
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The APGA Research Foundation (RF) and Gas Technology Institute (GTI) held an Emerging Technology Program (ETP) workshop in conjunction with the RF Board meeting in Houston, Texas on January 27. The GTI Emerging Technology Program is a North American collaborative between 25 utility organizations including the APGA RF that helps identify the most promising products in development then leverages funding and expertise to overcome market and program barriers. Ryan Kerr of GTI presented on the future of Gas Heat Pumps and the exciting studies that have been done showing their potential to increase energy efficiency, reliability, and customer choice. Design changes ...
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PHMSA Publishes Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Emergency Response and Transmission Pipeline Valves

By Erin Kurilla posted 11 days ago
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On February 6, in the Federal Register , the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published the long-awaited Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). This rule is to address congressional mandates from Section 4 of the 2011 Pipeline Safety Act. While the majority of the new requirements in the rule are specific to new or replaced gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines, there are elements of the rule that impact gas distribution systems. The rule has three primary components: Emergency Plans, internal incident investigation, and transmission line valve installation. The ...
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Revised Public Awareness Recommended Practice Nearing Completion

By John Erickson posted 11 days ago
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The American Petroleum Institute (API) is in the process of updating its Recommended Practice (RP) 1162 on Public Awareness Programs for Pipeline Operators. A working group met in Houston on February 5 and 6 to continue reviewing comments received on the draft third version of RP 1162. The original RP 1162 was issued in 2003; and in 2005, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) incorporated RP 1162 by reference in its pipeline safety regulations, making RP 1162 mandatory for public awareness programs. Operators were required to develop and implement public awareness programs meeting the requirements of RP 1162 no later than 2006. ...
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APGA Testifies to Support Protecting Consumers from Pipeline Overcollections

By Dave Schryver posted 11 days ago
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On February 5, Rich Worsinger, Director of the municipal utility Wilson Energy located in Wilson, N.C., testified on behalf of the American Public Gas Association (APGA) before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy at a hearing titled, "Modernizing the Natural Gas Act to Ensure it Works for Everyone." Mr. Worsinger strongly supported amending the Natural Gas Act to make it consistent with the Federal Power Act, ensuring that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) may order refunds when it has been proven that consumers were overcharged for the regulated transportation of energy to their homes and businesses. A copy of APGA’s ...
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EIA Reports Storage Decrease of 137 Bcf to Put Working Gas Storage at 2,609 Bcf

By Audrey Casey posted 11 days ago
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Here is the weekly EIA Summary Report issued on Thursday, February 6, which reports the week’s storage report highlights for Friday, January 31. A 137 Bcf decrease has been reported. Working gas in storage was 2,609 Bcf as of Friday, January 31, 2020, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net decrease of 137 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 615 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 199 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,410 Bcf. At 2,609 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
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APGA Board Approves New Nominees to APGA Public Gas Policy Council

By Dave Schryver posted 18 days ago
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At its January 27 meeting, the APGA Board of Directors unanimously approved four new nominations to the Public Gas Policy Council (PGPC) for 2020. The PGPC is an advocacy group made up of elected and appointed officials from public natural gas communities. The primary purpose of the PGPC is to assist APGA in communicating with members of Congress the priorities for public natural gas systems. The PGPC also provides advice on legislative-related issues of importance to APGA. The group also serves as a forum for elected officials to discuss public natural gas issues. Locally elected and appointed public officials have a strong, persuasive, and authoritative voice ...
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APGA Holds Winter Meetings and Conferences in Houston

By Audrey Casey posted 18 days ago
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From January 26 to 30, APGA held its 2020 winter quarterly meetings and two conferences—the Gas Supply Conference and the Marketing & Policy Conference—in Houston, Texas. APGA holds in-person quarterly meetings for its Board of Directors and various committees. These productive meetings offer members a place to network and discuss industry issues in-depth. The meetings are held in conjunction with the two conferences to give members an opportunity to learn more about specific industry topics and best practices. The APGA Gas Supply Conference is an annual event focusing on current market changes and challenges of natural gas supply. The Gas Supply Conference ...
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EIA Reports Storage Decrease of 201 Bcf to Put Working Gas Storage at 2,746 Bcf

By Audrey Casey posted 18 days ago
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Here is the weekly EIA Summary Report issued on Thursday, January 30, which reports the week’s storage report highlights for Friday, January 24. A 201 Bcf decrease has been reported. Working gas in storage was 2,746 Bcf as of Friday, January 24, 2020, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net decrease of 201 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 524 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 193 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,553 Bcf. At 2,746 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
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APGA Security Task Group Created

By Stuart Saulters posted 18 days ago
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During the APGA Board of Directors meeting on the afternoon of January 27, a resolution to create a Security Task Group was unanimously approved. Several government agencies, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, have provided that oil and gas infrastructure, particularly gas pipeline operations, face increasing cyber and physical security threats. Each APGA member already has safety as its highest priority, but given safety and security are integrally linked, this new team will determine the pertinent proactive actions the association should take to maintain the commitment to safety. There is willingness from the Transportation Security ...
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APGA Joins Industry Comments on Gas Transmission Annual Report

By Erin Kurilla posted 25 days ago
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On January 23, APGA—jointly with the American Gas Association, American Petroleum Association and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America—submitted comments to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on proposed changes to the Gas Transmission & Gathering Lines Annual Report that align with the new Safety of Gas Transmission Lines rule that was published in October 2019. The industry associations asked that PHMSA make modifications to their proposal that ensure consistency between what is required by regulation and what is required to be reported. For example, operators are only required to perform Integrity Assessments ...
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Commercial Packaged Boiler Efficiency Rule Is Final

By Stuart Saulters posted 25 days ago
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The rulemaking proceeding of the Department of Energy’s (DOE's) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) concerning new appliance efficiency standards for commercial packaged boilers (CPBs) is final. The effective date of this rule is March 10, 2020. Compliance with the amended standards established for commercial packaged boilers is required on and after January 10, 2023. The effort on this standard first started in October 2013. Then, work on the rulemaking was completed by the Obama administration in December 2016; but in January 2017, the Trump administration declined to make it final due to the “error correction rule.” It and three other efficiency ...
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EIA Reports Storage Decrease of 92 Bcf to Put Working Gas Storage at 2,947 Bcf

By Audrey Casey posted 25 days ago
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Here is the weekly EIA Summary Report issued on Thursday, January 23, which reports the week’s storage report highlights for Friday, January 17. A 92 Bcf decrease has been reported. Working gas in storage was 2,947 Bcf as of Friday, January 17, 2020, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net decrease of 92 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 554 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 251 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,696 Bcf. At 2,947 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
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Process Rule Finalized and Proposed Rule on Walk-Down Process

By Stuart Saulters posted 01-16-2020
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a final rule updating and streamlining aspects of DOE’s current rulemaking process under the Appliance and Equipment Standards Program. DOE also issued a proposed rule that would clarify the procedures used to evaluate the economic justification of new or amended energy conservation standards. DOE’s final “Process Rule” takes into account public feedback received, including input from APGA members, both in writing and at public meetings. APGA’s comments to DOE helped shaped the final rule. Major elements of the final rule include: • Establishing a threshold for “significant” energy savings at 0.3 quads over 30 years, ...
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EIA Reports Storage Decrease of 109 Bcf to Put Working Gas Storage at 3,039 Bcf

By Audrey Casey posted 01-16-2020
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Here is the weekly EIA Summary Report issued on Thursday, January 16, which reports the week’s storage report highlights for Friday, January 10. A 109 Bcf decrease has been reported. Working gas in storage was 3,039 Bcf as of Friday, January 10, 2020, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net decrease of 109 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 494 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 149 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,890 Bcf. At 3,039 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
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NEPA Changes Help Infrastructure Development and the Environment

By Stuart Saulters posted 01-09-2020
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On January 9, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed updates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which will streamline, clarify, and modernize the permitting and environmental review process, as well as help facilitate environmentally-responsible construction of natural gas infrastructure. While there are likely more implications for transmission lines, given the federal review process, this proposal will benefit APGA members through more pipeline access to clean, affordable, and reliable natural gas. Specifically, the proposed changes to CEQ’s NEPA regulations will provide predictability and transparency in the permitting ...
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