Every week, BIC Magazine will publish the top five articles as a recap. Here are this week's top headlines October 23-27, 2017.
1. ExxonMobil begins production on new polyethylene line at Mont Belvieu plastics plant
ExxonMobil Chemical Company announced today that it has commenced production on the first of two new 650,000 tons-per-year high-performance polyethylene lines at its plastics plant in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The full project, part of the company’s multi-billion dollar expansion project in the Baytown area and ExxonMobil’s broader Growing the Gulf expansion initiative, will increase the plant’s polyethylene capacity by approximately 1.3 million tons per year.
2. EPA abandons changes to U.S. biofuel program
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has backed off a series of proposed changes to the nation’s biofuels policy after a massive backlash from corn-state lawmakers worried the moves would undercut ethanol demand, according to a letter from the agency to lawmakers.
3. Sulfuric acid regeneration company expands In Louisiana
Eco Services recently completed another expansion and modernization project at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, facility, resulting in a 10-percent gain in sulfuric acid regeneration capacity. Eco Services will also complete additional Baton Rouge expansion and modernization projects in 2018 and 2019. At their conclusion, these expansion and modernization projects will total a $24 million investment and yield a total sulfuric acid regeneration capacity addition of 30-35 percent since the commencement of the projects in early 2016.
4. How DOT hours of service rules apply to oilfield drivers
There has been much discussion over the years about the hours of service rules for oil and gas field operations. It isn’t a matter of having “special rules” for drivers in the oil and gas fields; it’s a matter of having a few exceptions to the standard rules.
5. Bunkering and peak shaving leads small and midscale LNG growth
With an abundance of natural gas being recovered from the major shale plays, liquid natural gas (LNG) prices are nearly two-thirds of what they were as recently as 2014. At the same time, the proliferation of large LNG plants in the U. S. and around the world, together with abundant low-cost supply, has resulted in lack of demand for the new long-term commitments needed for the next wave of LNG export facilities to reach final investment decision.
