Regulation of natural gas pipeline construction and operation in the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 248-258
Author(s):  
Kim Talus

Significance Mestan also implied that Borisov and Dogan were allied in promoting Russian interests in Bulgarian politics -- while Bulgaria's 'yellow press' accuses him of being a Turkish puppet. On January 13, Borisov dismissed reports that he was keen to revive the South Stream gas pipeline project, but confirmed that Bulgaria was lobbying the European Commission for a Varna gas hub that would revive at least the underwater part of South Stream bringing Russian natural gas to Europe. Impacts DPS realignment will strengthen Borisov's hand domestically, but alienate Turkey and worry the United States. His interest in a gas hub enjoys overwhelming support in both government and opposition, with only about 20 deputies likely to oppose it. Broadly coinciding with Russian interests, the hub must now secure EU financial and political support, in the teeth of US opposition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-65
Author(s):  
Brian J. Galli ◽  
Aamir Khizar

In the United States today, there are thousands of miles of an extended network of natural gas pipelines across the nation. Current pipeline explosions and leaks in several regions have challenged the natural gas industry to re-evaluate efforts and to pursue proactive strategies. Safety and the environmental threat has become a primary concern in the United States and around the world, but mostly in cases where natural gases, oil, and other hazardous wastes are intricate. Thus, a significant point in the natural gas pipeline industry that signifies both the economic and social issue is the unplanned pipeline risk. In this article, a quantitative data analysis was performed for Downstate New York companies, Con Edison and National Grid. There, the data from various natural gas pipelines was observed for the trend regarding failing material, failure cause, aging characteristics, and perform a risk assessment to come up with training and risk checklist that could be crucial for risk handling strategies. The statistical analyses of the natural gas pipeline-related incident data for distribution pipelines between 2012 and 2016, which were composed from Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), are compiled. The total miles in the gas distribution pipelines in downstate New York is approximately 48,539 as of 2016. The equipment failure, other incident cause, other outside force, and excavation damages are the leading causes of the pipe-related incidents, which are responsible for over 20% of the total incidents between 2012 and 2016. As a result, a quantitative research methodology has been developed as the suitable approach to achieve risk assessment. Mainly, this approach aims towards risk management in natural gas industry projects using the maximum likelihood method on 70 rupture incidents between 2012 and 2016, which were collected from the PHMSA pipeline incident database. The hypothetical quantitative risk assessment of the gas distribution pipelines are illustrated by combining the statistics of the pipeline rupture incidents, as well as risk assessment performed in the present study.


Author(s):  
Paul G. Anderson ◽  
Christian G. J. Fraikin ◽  
Trevor J. Chandler

Findlay Creek is a small, coldwater stream which was crossed by a natural gas pipeline using conventional open-cut techniques in late August 1992. Pipeline crossing activities included the removal of a beaver dam which was located along the proposed alignment, the installation of a temporary road crossing, and the actual pipeline installation. A monitoring study was initiated to examine the impacts of pipeline construction on this stream including changes in the physical and biological regimes of the aquatic ecosystem. Results of this study indicate that the dramatic sediment loads (suspended sediment levels of up to 3000 mg/L) caused by pipeline construction were sufficient to cause changes to the channel morphology as well as the fish and invertebrate communities. By twelve weeks post-construction, partial recovery of habitats and aquatic communities was apparent. Changes to the physical channel parameters and the stream population structure documented in this study suggest that impacts to Findlay Creek were localized, and full recovery was documented in affected areas by the one year post construction sampling period. This study concurs with other research investigating the impacts of pipeline construction, in that impacts on the aquatic fauna appear to be localized in extent and short term in duration.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Stephen G. Gross

This article explores the economic context behind Germany’s decision to impose sanctions on Russia in 2014 in response to the Ukraine crisis, through the lens of energy and natural gas. It does so by comparing 2014 with another moment in German-Russian relations when questions of energy, economics, sanctions, and transatlantic politics converged—the Yamal natural gas pipeline in 1982. Then, West Germany had little economic latitude to disrupt trade with Russia because of its high unemployment rate, its balance of payments problems, and the large investments major German corporations had made in Yamal. Consequently, Bonn broke with the United States over the question of sanctions. In 2014, by contrast, Germany’s strong economy, robust balance of payments, and the absence of a united business front opposing sanctions gave Berlin the space to pursue a non-economic agenda and support the United States in imposing sanctions. The article concludes that these cases illustrate how Germany should not be characterized as a “geo-economic power,” insofar as Berlin still has the space to prioritize goals such as the advancement of democracy and human rights over its need to promote exports and secure imports of raw materials.


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