-Sixteen states have asked the Obama Administration to suspend its final rule on carbon emissions from power plants while they challenge it in court. Via FuelFix, the states are preparing to challenge the rules by arguing they exceed the administration’s authority. Obama’s Climate Action Plan mandates a 32% cut in carbon emissions over 2005 levels by 2030. A Senate panel on Wednesday passed a bill blocking the rules, though any such bill would likely face a presidential veto if passed by the full Senate.
-Federal regulators said the proposed Oregon LNG project would cause adverse environmental impacts, but that its developers could take certain actions to minimize harm to fish and wildlife habitats and water quality. Via the Daily Astorian, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission expects to release a final environmental impact statement on the project in February. The terminal would export LNG from Canada and the Rocky Mountains to buyers in Asia and other regions. Project owner Leucadia Corp. received DOE approval to export LNG last year.
-ExxonMobil expanded its Permian Basin footprint with two agreements to acquire acreage in the core of the Midland Basin. The agreements will allow ExxonMobil to join 48,000 acres with existing acreage in Martin and Midland counties in Texas owned by subsidiary XTO Energy. XTO will operate the acreage.
-Sunoco Logistics Partners will perform the final phase of integrity hydrotest work on its Mid-Valley crude oil pipeline system in the third quarter of this year, Reuters reports. The first phase of work on the 280,000-barrel-per-day pipeline was done in mid May.
-CF Industries agreed to acquire certain North American and European operations from OCI — including the latter’s interest in an ammonia and methanol complex in Beaumont, Texas — for $8 billion.
