Texas sues Biden Administration over lizards' endangered status, citing oil industry threat
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration Monday, claiming that the decision to declare the dunes sagebrush Lizard as an endangered species could harm property owners or energy production. Paxton, who is a Republican, claimed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based its final rule, adopted on May 20, on inaccurate data and arbitrary assumptions regarding the future of the lizard. He said that the move would threaten the ability of private landowners to conduct business, while also ensuring the survival of the lizard in its vast geographic range which overlaps the Permian basin…
U.S. Needs to Revive Shallow-Water GoM E&P
The US should define the Gulf of Mexico Shallow Water Province as a distinct entity to avoid stranding more than $20 billion of its oil and gas resource, said a new research.According to a research from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) the GOM Shallow Water Province, comprised of water less than 200 meters deep, is a historically energy-rich area which now produces natural gas, accounting for 33% of the gulf’s gas production and just over 10% of its oil production.Production and infrastructure investment used to be substantially higher in the Shallow Water Province…
BOEM Announces New GoM Lease Sale
The US Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) plans to offer about 78 million acres in a region-wide Gulf of Mexico lease sale scheduled for March 2020.Lease Sale 254, which would include all unleased areas in federal waters in the gulf that are not subject to congressional moratorium, will be the sixth held under the 2017-22 federal OCS leasing program, BOEM said in a press statement.The sale would include all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico that are not subject to Congressional moratorium.“Offshore energy development is about furthering America’s energy security…
Milito Named NOIA President
Veteran energy industry association executive Erik Milito has been named as the new president of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and will to take the helm of the offshore energy association effective November 1, 2019.“Erik is a strong leader and an effective communicator, qualities that make him a great fit for NOIA President and will serve our membership well. I am confident in his ability to inspire the NOIA membership and convey to the public the important role that offshore energy plays in America and beyond,” said NOIA…
Seismic Surveys Delayed in US Arctic
There will be no seismic exploration this winter on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Interior Department said on Friday, after the company seeking permission to conduct the tests ran out of time to get the required permit."We can confirm that seismic surveys will not take place until December 2019," said Alex Hinson, U.S. Department of the Interior spokesman, in an email.The company applying for the permits, SAExploration, had applied for a start date as early as December 2018 for seismic testing as a precursor to drill in the ANWR, which has been off-limits to drillers for decades.The application remains active, but will be altered.
Equinor Launches High-Tech Buoy
Equinor Wind US has announced deployment of a cutting-edge, specialized buoy designed to gather information, an important step in the development of its offshore wind lease site in the “New York Bight,” which will provide wind energy to New York and the region to help achieve the renewable energy goals recently set forth by Governor Andrew Cuomo.The Floating LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device will measure wind speed, wind direction, wave conditions and several other marine characteristics that help inform critical decisions in regard to the resource potential and eventual development of the wind farm.
U.S. DOI Okays Hilcorp AK Offshore Oil & Gas Project
The U.S.
Trump Administration Mulls Opening Alaska Refuge to Drilling
The Trump administration this week will begin the environmental review process for oil and gas drilling on a section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a region in northern Alaska rich in crude but prized by conservationists.In a notice from the U.S. Department of the Interior seen by Reuters, which the agency will post on Friday, it says it will hold meetings in five Alaskan towns where the public can speak about drilling in the refuge. It is the first step in the review process, which will consider proposed seismic testing and exploration…
Op/Ed: DPP a Benchmark Toward US Energy Dominance
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) president Randall Luthi comments on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) 2019-2024 National Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program, which seeks to open nearly all U.S. offshore waters to oil and gas drilling. With 94 percent of our nation’s outer continental shelf (OCS) currently and unnecessarily off limits to oil and gas leasing and exploration, NOIA welcomes the bold and broad offshore leasing proposal released January 4 by the Department of the Interior. It is time for a truly national discussion about increasing our offshore energy capabilities.
About 13% US Gulf Oil Output Offline Due to Hurricane Nate
About 13 percent of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production remains offline in the aftermath of Hurricane Nate, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Friday. That equals about 220,000 barrels per day in production that is offline, according to BSEE. Oil companies evacuated staff from Gulf platforms and curtailed output ahead of the storm, which hit the region last weekend. About 7 percent of U.S. Gulf natural gas production remains offline, BSEE said. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Houston; Editing by James Dalgleish)
About 33% of US Gulf Oil Output Offline after Nate
About 32.7 percent of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production is offline in the aftermath of Hurricane Nate, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Wednesday. That equals about 571,854 barrels per day in production that is offline, according to BSEE. Oil companies evacuated staff from Gulf platforms and curtailed output ahead of the storm, which hit the region last weekend. About 21 percent of Gulf natural gas production remains offline, BSEE said. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Majority of US Gulf Oil Output Offline Due to Nate
About 58.5 percent of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production is offline in the aftermath of Hurricane Nate, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Tuesday. That equals about 1.02 million barrels per day in production that is offline, according to BSEE. Oil companies evacuated staff from Gulf platforms and curtailed output ahead of the storm, which hit the region last weekend. About 46 percent of Gulf natural gas production remains offline, BSEE said. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Paul Simao)
70+ pct of U.S. GoM Output Offline Ahead of Nate
About 71 percent of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production is offline ahead of Tropical Storm Nate, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Friday. Nate is forecast to enter the Gulf and strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall late Saturday in Louisiana, near several major refineries. Oil companies have evacuated staff from Gulf platforms and curtailed output ahead of the storm, with production equaling 1.24 million barrels of crude per day already offline, according to BSEE. About 53.2 percent of Gulf natural gas production remains offline, BSEE said. Reporting by Ernest Scheyder
T/S Nate Kills 22 in Central America, Bears Down on U.S. GoM
Tropical Storm Nate killed at least 22 people in Central America on Thursday as it pummeled the region with heavy rain while heading toward Mexico's Caribbean resorts and the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it could strike as a hurricane this weekend. In Nicaragua, at least 11 people died, seven others were reported missing and thousands had to evacuate homes because of flooding, said the country's vice president Rosario Murillo. Emergency officials in Costa Rica reported that at least eight people were killed due to the lashing rain, including two children. Another 17 people were missing, while more than 7,000 had to take refuge from Nate in shelters, authorities said.
Almost 15 pct of U.S. GoM Output Down Ahead of Storm
About 14.6 percent of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production is offline ahead of Tropical Storm Nate, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Thursday. Nate is forecast to enter the Gulf and strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall early on Sunday in Louisiana, near several major refineries. Several producers have started evacuating staff from Gulf platforms ahead of the storm, with production equaling 254,607 barrels of oil per day already offline, according to BSEE. About 6.4 percent of Gulf natural gas production remains offline, BSEE said. Reporting by Ernest Scheyder
U.S. Interior Chief Seeks Changes at U.S. Monuments
The head of the U.S. Department of the Interior urged President Donald Trump to lift restrictions on activities such as logging and mining in or to shrink the footprints of 10 national monuments, according to the Washington Post. The Post, citing a copy of the recommendations, said late on Sunday that U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had recommended reducing boundaries for Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, Nevada’s Gold Butte and Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou. Zinke also called for relaxing current restrictions within some of the national monuments' boundaries for activities such as grazing…
About 13.5% of US Gulf Oil Output Still Shut in by Harvey
About 13.5 percent of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut in on Thursday due to Tropical Storm Harvey, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said. That equates to some 236,115 barrels of oil per day, out of roughly 1.75 million barrels pumped daily from the Gulf, down from 323,760 barrels of oil per day that were shut on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 17.6 percent of natural gas production in the region, or 568.09 million cubic feet per day has been shut in, BSEE said, down from 611.09 million on Wednesday. BSEE tabulated the data by polling 31 Gulf operators.
U.S. Gulf Coast Energy Infrastructure Shuttered by Harvey
Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall in Louisiana early on Wednesday after hammering Texas, threatening more infrastructure in the heart of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Harvey came ashore just west of Cameron, Louisiana, and was expected to weaken to a tropical depression by Wednesday evening. Numerous refineries, terminals, drilling platforms and other infrastructure have shut. At least 4.2 million bpd of refining capacity was offline, or more than 22 percent of total U.S. capacity, based on company reports and Reuters estimates. The Gulf is home to nearly half of U.S. refining capacity.
Harvey Shuts in More than 18% of US Gulf Output -BSEE
More than 18 percent of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut in on Tuesday due to Harvey, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety Environmental Enforcement said. That equates to some 319,523 barrels of oil per day, out of roughly 1.75 million barrels pumped daily from the Gulf. The amount of production shut in was down from Monday, when more than 331,000 barrels were shut in. Meanwhile, 19.1 percent of natural gas production in the region, or 615.09 million cubic feet per day, has been shut in, BSEE said. BSEE tabulated the data by polling 31 Gulf operators. (Reporting by David Gaffen; Editing by Tom Brown)
Harvey's Rains Shut in More Refineries, Sending Fuel Prices Higher
U.S. fuel prices surged on Monday as two more Gulf Coast refiners cut output and a third considered reductions, leaving more than 13 percent of the country's refining capacity offline after Tropical Storm Harvey flooded plants and shut seaports. The storm swung back over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and was expected to bring another 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) of rain to the Houston area and up to 8 inches as far east as New Orleans, the National Weather Service said. Marathon Petroleum Corp's Galveston Bay refinery in Texas City, Texas, cut production by half, sources familiar with plant operations said.
