October Newsreel: Energy Transfer Completes Texas Independence Pipeline; Equitable Gas Top in Customer Service and More

NAPCA Summer Workshop Draws Record Numbers
The National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators (NAPCA) saw a record number of registrations for its summer workshop Aug. 20 in Houston. Managing Director Merritt B. Chastain, II said it was the “largest NAPCA workshop in our history.”

After a welcome message from NAPCA President Merry Brumbaugh, presentations included the role the shale regions will play in the domestic natural gas market; the economic outlook for steel production, demand and price; issues confronting railroad transportation of coated pipe; dual certification of steel pipe and the challenges that poses for constructors; UV protection of coating line pipe; and pipeline safety issues related to high-strength line pipe.

“For the first time, the U.S. has the potential to become energy independent,” said Greg Kelleher of Devon Energy and a member of the American Natural Gas Alliance. He cited the recently announced large increase in the resource base represented by natural gas reserves being developed in the shale regions.

He said the growing local natural gas supply, in combination with other traditional and non-traditional energy forms and applications could allow America to become energy-independent if there are rational tax policies, rational carbon tax policies and prudent treatment of permitting for the fracturing of tight reservoir formations.

Report Addresses Safe Subsurface Storage Of CO-2
A report published by the CO-2 Capture Project (CCP) provides a definitive treatment of the CO-2 storage subsurface technical issues and how oil and gas experience technology and protocols are available now to address them.

Entitled “A Technical Basis for Carbon Dioxide Storage,” the report, edited by Cal Cooper (formerly of ConocoPhillips), provides guidance on how to assess and manage industrial-scale CO-2 Geological Storage (CGS) projects through site assessment, operational parameters and monitoring. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believes CCS could contribute 15-55% of the cumulative mitigation effort until 2100, while the International Energy Agency found that the cost of containing climate change would be 70% higher without CCS.

Scott Imbus, CCP Storage team leader said, “With this report, the oil and gas industry is transferring decades of experience and nine years of technology development to the fledgling industry of CCS. We hope this will provide the critical boost to turn the potential of CCS into a practical reality. The findings further validate that, with the right site selection, CO-2 can be – and is – safely stored in geological formations, and that the expertise available to select and manage storage sites is available now.”

The report can be downloaded from www.co2captureproject.com.

Common Ground Alliance Reports Fewer Underground Utilities Damaged
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), an organization focused on protecting underground utility lines and the safety of people who dig near them, recently reported the estimate of underground utility damages occurring in the U.S. in 2008 has decreased to 200,000 from the 2004 and 2007 estimates of 450,000 and 256,000 respectively.