Articles by Richard Nemec

Fight Over Higher Oil Taxes Heats Up in California

In a recurring tug-of-war that the oil/natural gas industry has been fighting for years, shots were heard in recent days in California's annual battle over whether to increase taxes on oil production. Read More

NGV Incentives Receive Bipartisan Support

The need for a boost for the natural gas vehicle (NGV) sector is recognized on a bipartisan basis in Congress, but how and when it will take shape was still unknown on Wednesday after six industry executives made their case for federal tax incentives at a Senate Finance Committee subcommittee hearing chaired by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO). Read More

Canada Bans Thousands of Old Crude Rail Tank Cars

While it has a phase-out process running into 2017 for old (DOT-111) rail tank cars that carry crude oil, Canada's Transport Department (CTD) has accelerated the process by banning nearly 3,000 of the older model cars from carrying "dangerous goods" throughout the nation. Read More

FERC Gives Early Nod to Florida LNG Production Project

FERC on Wednesday approved the start of a pre-filing process on the first in a series of small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities a consortium hopes to develop starting with a site in Florida. Read More

EPA Gets Earful Regarding Carbon Emissions Proposal

Proposed federal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rules are either an economic burden or an environmental necessity, according to millions of comments submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Read More

North Dakota Preparing to Finalize Bakken Content Rules

The North Dakota Industrial Commission (IC) plans to finalize Bakken Shale crude content rules on Tuesday (Dec. 9) that would mandate equipment be updated to ensure petroleum is safely transported. Read More

High Costs Outweigh Benefits of Proposed Crude-by-Rail Rules, Says Report

Proposed federal rules to shore up the safety of crude oil rail transport could cost $60 billion, too costly compared to the benefits, according to a report issued on Wednesday by the Brattle Group for the Railway Supply Institute. Read More

U.S. Senate Subcommittee Hearing to Examine NGV Incentives

Industry representatives from the natural gas vehicle (NGV) sector are slated to push for extension of tax incentives for NGVs at a U.S. Senate Finance subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, Wednesday. Read More

Oxy Completes Spin-Off of California Operations

Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s (Oxy) spin-off of its California operations, California Resources Corp. (CRC), was completed Monday as the new company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Read More

NGL Energy Moves Into Bakken With New Wastewater Assets

Expanding its scope with a series of acquisitions in the past two years, Tulsa-based NGL Energy Partners LP has acquired two salt water disposal facilities from different companies for $34.6 million that will give the company entry into the Bakken Shale. Read More