American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2023 - 15

IndustryDigest
Chevron counsel Jeffrey Dintzer has
expressed satisfaction at the ruling.
" Chevron is pleased that this decision
brings an end to seven years of litigation
and appeals, " Dintzer is quoted. ❒
Case Dropped Against
Anti-Gas Building Codes
In Washington State
YAKIMA, WA.-After a federal court
in July denied their request for a
preliminary injunction to postpone the
state's anti-natural-gas building codes, a
legal coalition of Washington construction
and natural gas groups decided in early
August to drop their case.
Press accounts note that Chief Judge
Stanley Bastian's ruling against the
injunction deemed the plaintiffs' claims
of harm as " purely speculative " and
inferior to the public harms associated
with climate change. The judge also
reportedly expressed concern that
pausing Washington's new statewide
building codes, which seek to restrict or
ban the use of natural gas service in
new residential and commercial
buildings, would have a " chilling
effect " on other jurisdictions' efforts to
address climate change.
The case, Rivera v. Washington State
Building Code Council, originated with
the council's 2022 building code
updates. Those came on the heels of
laws passed by the Washington State
Legislature, first in 2019 to force electric
utilities to stop burning fossil fuels to
generate power, then in 2021 to cap and
cut greenhouse gas emissions. ❒
BSEE Tightens Rules
For Offshore Wells
WASHINGTON-The U.S.
Department of the Interior's Bureau of
Safety and Environmental Enforcement
has announced new measures that it
claims will enhance worker safety and
ensure offshore oil and gas operations
on the Outer Continental Shelf meet
the highest safety and oversight
standards. However, some industry
representatives counter, the regulation
merely offers another example of
questionable hostility to Trump-era
regulatory initiatives.
Press accounts note American
Petroleum Institute Vice President of
Upstream Policy Holly Hopkins is
among those questioning the
rulemaking. " Regulatory clarity is
critical for ensuring compliance and
establishing safe operations, but this
rule continues the rampant politicization
of the rulemaking process and
represents another policy swing from
administration to administration,
resulting in a policy that fails to
meaningfully improve the safety of
workers or protect the environment, "
she is quoted.
The bureau proposed the latest rule
in September 2022. A BSEE news
release acknowledges the regulatory
boomerang, and claims the Obama-era
rulemaking-which the Trump-era rule
revised-was the right response to the
2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout.
" BSEE adopted several
recommendations from multiple
investigation teams to improve the
safety of offshore energy operations,
leading to the publication of the 2016
Well Control Rule, " the release says.
" In May 2019, BSEE published a final
rule that weakened certain safety
provisions. Today's final rule
incorporates key lessons learned from
operator experience, incident data
regarding blowout preventers, and well
integrity since the publication of the
2016 rule and revises or rescinds
certain modifications that were made
in the 2019 rule. "
According to the Department, the
finalized revisions will specify that
surface blowout preventers on existing
floating facilities must follow the dual
KIOGA recognizes a pair of individuals during its August Board of Directors meeting. LEFT: KIOGA President Edward Cross (left)
bestows the KIOGA President's Leadership Award on Kansas State Senate President Ty Masterson. The association credits Masterson
with an instrumental role in advancing KIOGA legislative priorities and protecting the Kansas oil and gas industry. RIGHT: Cross
presents the KIOGA Outstanding Service Award to Barry Hill in recognition of his efforts to improve the association's operational
efficiencies and his work as KIOGA's Investment Committee Chair and KIOGA East Vice Chair. The award presentation took place on the
first day of KIOGA's 2023 Annual Convention, held Aug. 20-22 in Wichita, Ks.
(See Story, Page 31)
SEPTEMBER 2023 15

American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2023

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