In the oil-rich regions of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, an emerging sector is exploring innovative purification and recycling technologies to tackle the pressing issues of dwindling freshwater resources and produced water management. Permian Basin pilot projects run by Texas Pacific Water Resources and Circle Verde Water are using techniques such as desalination, reverse osmosis and natural gas-based water filtration to treat brine for potential reuse in irrigation and other applications.

Mergers and acquisitions targeting the Appalachian Basin could intensify in the near future, driven by heightened demand for premium natural gas assets, although access to midstream capacity is emerging as a key deal-making criterion, according to Daniel Crowley of investment bank Houlihan Lokey. "In the conversations I have with some producers in Appalachia, people are very carefully watching that contango and sort of queueing up to come to the market at the right time," Crowley said.

The Railroad Commission of Texas issued 669 oil and natural gas drilling permits in March, down from 999 the previous year but up from 659 in February. The decline was particularly pronounced in the Midland and San Antonio regions.

Enterprise Products Partners' proposed deepwater oil-export facility can go forward after a US appeals court upheld federal approval of the facility, saying the proposal met environmental criteria. Enterprise received a record of decision for the proposed Sea Port Oil Terminal late last year but has yet to receive a US license for the Texas project.

Enterprise Product Partners has launched its 300-MMcf/d Leonidas and Mentone 3 natural gas processing plants in the Permian Basin, is advancing construction of Mentone West 1 and Orion plants, and plans to build the Mentone West 2 facility. Separately, DeLa Express, an affiliate of Moss Lake Partners, has unveiled a proposal to develop a 690-mile, 2 Bcf/d greenfield gas pipeline connecting the Permian Basin to the Louisiana Gulf Coast, with completion targeted for 2028.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is allocating $392 million to 130 projects seeking to modernize nearly 500 miles of aging natural gas pipelines in 26 states to reduce methane leaks. The funding announcement comes as a new Government Accountability Office report raised concerns about the PHMSA's data collection practices and implementation of gas transmission safety regulations issued in 2019 and 2022, stressing the need for enhanced data assessment, implementation planning and accessibility of safety regulation information and guidance.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is halting implementation of its new climate disclosure rule while challenges to the regulation go through the legal system, according to a filing with the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. The SEC plans to defend the rule, but it noted that a "Commission stay will facilitate the orderly judicial resolution of those challenges and allow the court of appeals to focus on deciding the merits."

This course is instructionally designed for inspectors, engineers and other personnel who want to learn more about the practice of pressure vessel inspection, as described in API Recommended Practice 572. To learn more, visit apilearning.org.

Register today for the 2024 Excise Tax Forum. This two-day meeting will offer presentations and discussions on various topics including motor fuel tax issues, state sales and use, IRS updates, audit discussions, and more. CLE and CPE continuing education credits will be awarded. Learn More.