Politics & Regulation

Laying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline (copyright by Adobe Stock/fotograupner)
Laying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline (copyright by Adobe Stock/fotograupner)

Is Nord Stream 2 A Pipeline to Nowhere?

The recent bill put forward in the US Senate by Senators Ted Cruz and Jeanne Shaheen may have been the proverbial straw that has broken the camel's back.  For in its wake Germany has stiffened its spine and publicly voicing its displeasure with the current US-German relationship under President Donald Trump.

The Trans-Andean oil pipeline passing through montane rainforest in the Ecuadorian Amazon (copyright by Adobe Stock/Atelopus)
The Trans-Andean oil pipeline passing through montane rainforest in the Ecuadorian Amazon (copyright by Adobe Stock/Atelopus)

Another Bad Day For Ecuador's Accident-prone Crude Oil Pipeline System

Ecuador’s northern Amazon rainforest has seen heavy oil contamination since rich oil fields were discovered there in the 1960s. Billions of gallons of oil waste was dumped by then American oil giant Texaco into unlined, open-air pits in the ground.

American flag waving with the Capitol Hill (copyright by Adobe Stock/rarrarorro)
American flag waving with the Capitol Hill (copyright by Adobe Stock/rarrarorro)

New Proposed Senate Sanctions Could be the Death Knell for Nordstream 2

As if there were not enough existing obstacles thrown in Nordstream 2's way (see Pipeline Technology Journal, 27 May 2020), Senators Ted Cruz and Jeanne Shaheen announced a bill today on Capitol Hill to expand sanctions on the troubled gas pipeline to prevent its completion and thus end what they see as Moscow's plan to raise its economic and political influence in

Developing gas resources and shaping gas transmission system in eastern Russia (copyright by Gazprom)
Developing gas resources and shaping gas transmission system in eastern Russia (copyright by Gazprom)

Troubled Waters Roil Russia's Energy Relationship with China

The over 2000-km gas pipeline Power of Siberia, linking Russia's prodigious gas reserves to gigantic energy markets of China, is supposed to be in full swing right now, underscoring the new energy alliance between the Russian bear and the Chinese dragon. At best the flowing gas is so reduced it's barely making a whisper as it moves through the pipeline.

Israel and Egypt flag (copyright by Shutterstock/ruskpp)
Israel and Egypt flag (copyright by Shutterstock/ruskpp)

Israel Begins Shipping Gas to Egypt via a Subsea Pipeline

Against the backdrop of the Corona pandemic what has been touted as " the most significant deal to emerge since the countries signed a historic peace treaty in 1979," Israel and Egypt began implementing an estimated $19.5 billion natural gas deal.

United States Army Corps of Engineers through a magnifying glass (copyright by Shutterstock/Gil C)
United States Army Corps of Engineers through a magnifying glass (copyright by Shutterstock/Gil C)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Acts To Suspend Pipeline Infrastructure Projects

A nationwide program considered by the pipeline industry as vital to its profitability has been suspended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a separate and permanent branch of the U.S. Government.

Federal Court Orders a Full Environmental Review of Dakota Access Oil Pipeline (David T. Stephenson / Shutterstock)
Federal Court Orders a Full Environmental Review of Dakota Access Oil Pipeline (David T. Stephenson / Shutterstock)

Federal Court Orders a Full Environmental Review of Dakota Access Oil Pipeline

In 2017 President  Donald Trump granted federal permits to Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) for the commercial operation of the 1886-km Dakota Access Oil Pipeline. More than two years later, a federal court has ordered the Trump administration to conduct a full environmental review, saying "too many questions remain unanswered.

High Court Says Construction on Nordstream 2 Can Continue (Copyright by: Aksabir / Shutterstock)
High Court Says Construction on Nordstream 2 Can Continue (Copyright by: Aksabir / Shutterstock)

High Court Says Construction on Nordstream 2 Can Continue

The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin - Brandenburg cleared yesterday the last remaining legal obstacle to the completion of the Nordstream 2 Gas Pipeline. The sticking point concerned an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a 500-km portion (called EUGAL) of the 1200-km long pipeline.

Oil pipeline loaded on railcars (copyright by Shutterstock/Stephen B. Thornton)
Oil pipeline loaded on railcars (copyright by Shutterstock/Stephen B. Thornton)

The Trump Administration Gives Keystone XL A Strategic Victory

Though courtroom challenges still hang like a dark cloud over the $8 billion, 1,930-km oil sands pipeline construction project, the Trump administration today approved a right-of-way allowing Keystone XL to be built.

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Map (copyright by Atlantic Coast Pipeline)
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Map (copyright by Atlantic Coast Pipeline)

Opponents of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Achieve Victory in Big Court Case

Against a backdrop of proposed changes to environmental rules to speed up pipeline projects, inter alia, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia has rejected Dominion Energy's application for a permit to operate a natural gas compressor station integral to the development of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.