Natural Gas News – January 22, 2018

House GOP Looks to Give FERC Final Say on Natural Gas Exports

Washington Examiner reported: Republicans and Democrats sparred Friday morning over legislation to make the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the gatekeeper for approving natural gas exports. The current process provides for a two-step process in which FERC’s primary siting approval must be evaluated and approved by the Department of Energy, which has typically dragged its feet before issuing final decisions on export decisions. Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee want to make FERC’s approval process the final say on exports. At a Friday hearing, they said changes to the natural gas export approval process are long overdue, especially with the shale revolution and fracking boom that has made the U.S. a net natural gas exporter. Democrats on the committee opposed the legislative changes, saying the proposed updates are “not in the public interest” and would undermine environmental safeguards, according to Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the panel. For more on this story visit washingtonexaminer.com or click http://washex.am/2EY3Tyv

How the U.S. Almost Bought Russian Natural Gas

Bloomberg reported: For a lesson in how liquefied natural gas is radically reshaping the global energy market, consider the twisted tale of a ship heading to Boston that made a U-turn on Friday. The huge Gaselys tanker had been closely tracked by energy traders, since its arrival would mark the first imports that included some gas from a project in Russia subject to U.S. sanctions. The journey, though interrupted, is raising questions about where America gets its fuel from. It shows that thanks to a boom in LNG production, natural gas is on the verge of becoming a truly global commodity unbound by the physical constraints of pipelines. For more on this story visit bloomberg.com or click https://bloom.bg/2DRJMCJ