Michigan school districts will replace 300 older diesel buses with models powered by clean diesel and propane engines under grants awarded by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). More than $8.7 million in grants will be awarded under EGLE’s Fuel Transformation Program. Districts will have the new buses on the road within the next two years.
TC Energy (Calgary, Alta., and Houston) will proceed with construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline Project, an investment of around $8 billion into the North American economy.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has made the following changes to petroleum supply data effective in Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM) data released on March 31.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) on March 31 commended the launch of the Texas Methane and Flaring Coalition, an initiative representing nearly 80% of oil production in Texas and formed to minimize methane emissions and flaring in the state of Texas. The majority of the nearly 40 members of the new coalition also participate in other initiatives that improve environmental performance, including The Environmental Partnership.
The U.P. Energy Task Force has publicly released 14 draft recommendations it is making to the governor of Michigan on propane availability in the state’s Upper Peninsula. The recommendations were posted to the Task Force’s website March 20 along with a technical report on propane and possible impacts if delivery were to be interrupted.

 

The U.S. energy and energy efficiency sectors currently employ 6.8 million workers, and added 120,300 new jobs in 2019, more than 7% of all newly created jobs nationwide.

So says the 2020 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (USEER) published March 23 by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). This is the fifth annual in-depth survey of the U.S. labor force and skill trends in five energy sectors across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
As a price-elastic source of supply, U.S. shale production will respond relatively quickly to the steep drop in oil prices, ESAI Energy LLC reported March 16. Already, U.S. exploration and production (E&P) companies are reporting further reductions to their 2020 spending guidance and cutting back on drilling activity. “A new-normal is here, with fiscal discipline and strong balance sheets even more important to weather current and future price volatility,” the firm explained.
Customer satisfaction with the energy utilities sector has taken a hit, dropping 1.5% to a score of 72.1 (on a scale of 0 to 100), according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index Energy Utilities Report 2019-2020. This is the second straight year customer satisfaction with energy utilities has faltered.
Canada’s primary underground propane inventories fell 13.0% in February to 395.4 Mcm, the equivalent of 2.5 MMbbl, according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). The draw represented a month-to-month loss of 59.3 Mcm. Compared to a year earlier, stocks stood 166.1 Mcm lower, off 29.6%.
As product markets fell to their lowest levels in three years or more, S&P Global Platts provided an overview of the European refined product markets on March 16. The Russia-Saudi price war and coronavirus concerns continued to weigh heavily on demand. Products were taking their lead from crude, as the consultancy reported dated Brent at $27.945/bbl, off $3.90/bbl.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently published a Policy and Compliance Notice regarding treatment of cannabidiol (CBD) products, the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) reports. According to the Notice, DOT does not distinguish between the use of CBD products and any other marijuana use by safety-sensitive employees, including drivers transporting hazardous materials, the association explains. Therefore, propane drivers who use CBD products may test positive for marijuana on drug exams.
On March 16, 2020, IHS Markit reported the current crude oil situation points to the possible buildup of the most extreme global oil supply surplus ever recorded. It estimates that, if the price war continues amid a global recession and coronavirus crisis, the surplus could range from 800 MMbbl to 1.3 Bbbl in the first six months of 2020. Since 2000, the largest six-month global surplus had been during late 2015 to early 2016, when it was a cumulative 360 MMbbl.
Offen Petroleum (Commerce City, Colo.), an independent fuel distributor, has signed an agreement to acquire the business assets of Bosselman Energy, a fuel distributor, and Bosselman Carriers, a trucking company, both based in Nebraska. Details of the transaction were not provided.
A new federal study found no evidence oil and gas production in northern Pennsylvania has contaminated the State Forest Service’s rivers and streams, Kallanish Energy reports. The study, published in February in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS, concluded there were no signs wastewater from hydraulically fractured wells had entered any of more than two dozen streams running through the Marcellus Shale.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) International Roadcheck will take place May 5-7, 2020. The International Roadcheck is a high-volume, high-visibility three-day enforcement initiative that highlights the importance of commercial motor vehicle safety through roadside inspections. Over that 72-hour period, commercial motor vehicle inspectors in jurisdictions throughout North America will conduct inspections on commercial motor vehicles and drivers.
Following the recent tariff exemption granted by the Chinese government, industry sources have noted the resumption of U.S. LPG imports into China the will not hamper the flow of other Western cargoes, including those from Canada, into the region. The Chinese government approved tariff exemptions for many propane dehydrogenation plant operators, including Wanhua Chemical and Oriental Energy, as well as retail distributors like CNOOC and ChinaGas, for importing U.S.
(March 12, 2020) — As the scourge of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) strikes more countries and regions of the globe daily, economic stability is on precarious footing as witnessed by the recent volatility of the stock markets worldwide. In addition, the outcome of the March 6 OPEC meeting, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), added more concern as the agency now forecasts that OPEC will target market share instead of a balanced global oil market.
Kosan Crisplant (Denmark), the daughter company of MAKEEN Energy, signed an agreement on March 6 to acquire Gas Equipment Co. (GEC; Dallas). Details of the transaction were not revealed, but closing is expected before the end of March. The acquisition is set to strengthen the global business and network of the group’s trading division, KC ProSupply.
Team Drive-Away (TDA; Olathe, Kan.), a leading truck transport provider in North America, recently acquired the drive-away businesses of IXT Logistics LLC (Kansas City, Kan.) and Transportation Booking Services (TBS; Kansas City, Mo.). Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
For the first time ever, some U.S. Postal Service packages are being delivered by emission-reducing propane autogas trucks. McAbee Trucking, a freight shipping and trucking company based in Blacksburg, S.C., purchased eight Ford F-750 delivery trucks fueled by propane autogas. The vehicles are used for contracted parcel delivery routes between USPS locations in North and South Carolina.
The World LPG Association (WLPGA; Paris) has won the prestigious GREEN4SEA Initiative Award in recognition of significant contributions to greener shipping. The association was recognized for adding value to the maritime industry by addressing the benefits of using LPG as a marine fuel. The annual award, given during the awards ceremony during the GREEN4SEA annual conference in Athens, Greece, acknowledges serious contributions to greener shipping.