June 17, 2019
Bills calling for adjusted safety standards for pilots and vessels along the Port of Houston, as well as separating the pilot board from the port commission, were signed on Saturday by Governor Greg Abbott….
June 17, 2019
Electricity energy brokers in Texas will now be under the registration requirements of the Public Utility Commission has passed the state legislature….
June 17, 2019
A bill aimed at lessening the number of lawsuits over how people are paid at natural gas utilities was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday….
June 17, 2019
The Public Utility Commission of Texas can use outside consultants not only in appearances before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as is already allowed, but a new law extends that to include appearances before regional transmission organizations if Texas interests are involved….
June 17, 2019
While allowing the discharge of oil and gas produced water, hydrostatic test water, and gas plant effluent water into rivers and streams, new powers are given to the TCEQ to regulate such produced water runoff under new legislation signed by the governor….
June 16, 2019
Modular home builders are free to build in energy efficiencies under new legislation signed by Governor Greg Abbott…
June 17, 2019
There will be new agreements between the Texas Comptroller‘s office and taxpayers such as oil and gas companies over how to calculate the natural gas severance taxes paid on wells….
June 17, 2019
The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying will begin consolidation on September 1st with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, in keeping with recommendations by the state Sunset Advisory Commission….
June 16, 2019
Texas legislation fast-tracking the recovery of some non-ERCOT electric generation investment costs has been signed ito law….
June 16, 2019
Governor Greg Abbott has signed both of the gas pipeline bills passed by the Legislature and authored by state Rep. Rafael Anchia, which he has said were filed in reaction to a pipeline explosion in North Texas…..
June 15, 2019
The Permian Basin is off 35 rigs over the past year and down by five over the past week, according to the latest report from Baker Hughes GE….
June 15, 2019
A bill to update rules for the extraction, treatment and use of brackish groundwater has been signed by Governor Greg Abbott….
June 13, 2019
Howard Energy Partners (HEP) says it’s completed expansions of its Port Arthur and Corpus Christi terminal structures….
June 13, 2019
In its Wednesday Week in Petroleum report the Energy Information Administration warned that signs are pointing to a 2020 spike in oil supplies with a simultaneous drop in prices — endangering Texas drilling….
Helium distribution problems could cut supplies by one-third this year…critical uses such as MRI machines take precedence…and cities have begun banning helium balloon releases, which can cause power line disruptions and wildlife deaths
June 13, 2019
Texas may be one of the main worldwide sources of helium gas, but demand is now outstripping supply, while many don’t realize there are critical uses for the gas — and a possible state-by-state ban of helium balloons on the horizon.
Party City is the retailer where many buy their birthday balloons, but the chain is closing a number of its 870 stores, not because of the helium undersupply but because of falling sales — still managers acknowledge the shortage as a problem…..
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June 13, 2019
Pittsburgh-based law firm Reed Smith has opened a Dallas office led by an energy litigation expert from its San Francisco office….
By Alex Mills
June 13, 2019
The oil and gas industry has been the driving force behind commerce, culture and community throughout Texas for more than a century.
The early days were marked by individuals who had driving ambition to drill deep into the earth in hope of discovering oil. The risks were high, and the rewards could be high, too.
Four such men were Joseph Kemp of Wichita Falls, S.I. and H.M. Munger of Dallas, and Reece Allen of Electra, who joined together in 1919 to form the Kemp-Munger-Allen Oil Company, and drill a wildcat well a few mile west of Wichita Falls. The #1Munger began flowing oil on Oct. 29, 1919 and the KMA Oilfield was born.
A century later a group of community leaders of the area will gather to celebrate the 100th anniversary with the placement of a Historical Marker. The dedication ceremony will begin at noon on Wednesday at the Kamay Volunteer Fire Department, and everyone is invited to attend….
June 13, 2019
Adding to recent federal money released to the state of Texas for disaster relief, Texas now has new storm and flood preparation plans — and a $1.6 billion for prep and infrastructure — signed into law on Thursday by Governor Greg Abbott.
Abbott signed HB 5, HB 7, SB 6 and SB 7, which together provide disaster training, debris pickup plans and the cash for disaster resilience planning and building….
Law analysts see it as a possible precedent-setting case in utilizing climate change against oil and gas companies…Case doesn’t directly stem from any climate change-related laws…Judge tells NY AG’s office it will either prove securities or financial fraud — or it won’t
June 13, 2019
Lawyers for ExxonMobil continue to prepare for an October 23rd “climate change” trial after a New York judge blocked some of the Irving-based company’s lines of defense.
Exxon had proposed to the court that New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who began the investigation against the oil company, was working with a climate “activist agenda.”……
June 12, 2019
Pioneer Energy Services says it’s gotten a de-listing warning from the New York Stock Exchange because its stock price is less than $1.00 a share….