Sharp Decline Continued in Second Quarter Energy Activity
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City June 10 released the second quarter Energy Survey for the Tenth District. The district encompasses the western third of Missouri; all of Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, as well as the northern half of New Mexico. According to Chad Wilkerson, Oklahoma City Branch executive and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the survey revealed that Tenth District energy activity declined sharply again in the second quarter and was expected to remain primarily unchanged going forward.
Brake Safety Week Set for Late August 2020
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week will proceed as scheduled, Aug. 23-29. Enforcement officials will inspect commercial motor vehicles throughout the week and vehicles found to have critical out-of-service brake violations, or other critical vehicle out-of-service inspection item violations, will be restricted from traveling until those violations are corrected.
API Issues Statement On Biden's Climate Plan
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
On July 14, the American Petroleum Institute (API) released the following statement ahead of former vice president Joe Biden’s expected remarks on his campaign’s new climate plan.
U.S. Rig Count Continues to Decline
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
The July 10 Baker Hughes U.S. rig count shows a decrease of five rigs from a week prior, falling to 258 units. Oil rigs were down four to 181; gas rigs off one to 75; and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at two.

U.S. rig count is down 700 rigs from last year's count of 958, with oil rigs down 603, gas rigs off 97, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at two.

The U.S. offshore rig count is unchanged at 12, a decline of 14 year-over-year.
API Welcomes USMCA Implementation
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
The American Petroleum Institute (API) welcomes the implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which will bolster U.S. energy leadership while benefiting American workers and consumers.

As a member of the USMCA Coalition, API joined more than 200 companies and associations representing a wide cross-section of industries to emphasize the importance of free trade across the U.S. economy. The broad-based coalition was instrumental in securing the agreement’s bipartisan approval in Congress.
Association Shares Flood Preparedness Tips for Propane Users
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
The Canadian Propane Association (CPA) is reminding propane users that they can do their part by being prepared in the event of a flood. Although the reminder was for residents of central and northeast British Columbia who are facing flood advisories, the same holds true in the U.S.
Dominion Energy to Sell Gas Transmission, Storage Assets
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
On July 5, Dominion Energy (Richmond, Va.) announced that it had executed a definitive agreement to sell substantially all of its Gas Transmission & Storage segment assets to an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Des Moines, Iowa) in a transaction valued at $9.7 billion, including the assumption of $5.7 billion of existing indebtedness.
Autogas Day 2020 Activities to Begin Nov. 4
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Autogas Day is a dedicated occasion that takes place annually to provide a high-level conference on the most recent autogas developments, as well as an opportunity for the LPG industry to get involved through local activities targeting key stakeholders worldwide.
Half-Year Discoveries are the Lowest of the Century
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Rystad Energy (Oslo, Norway) estimates global discoveries of conventional resource volumes reached just 4.9 Bbbl of oil equivalent (boe) in the first half of 2020, the weakest-performing first half of the 21st century. Compared to the same period in 2019, the resource volumes were 42% lower and the number of discoveries was down by 31%.
New Method for Producing Building Blocks for Medicines
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
In industry, gaseous hydrocarbons, such as ethane and methane, are frequently changed into molecules that can act as building blocks for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. These processes typically take place at high temperatures and pressures, and can also produce large amounts of pollutants.
Hiltz Propane Systems Acquires Chesmont Engineering
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Hiltz Propane Systems Inc. (Marietta, Pa.) plans to acquire Chesmont Engineering Co. Inc. (Exton, Pa.), to offer a unified engineering and turnkey solution to the propane and energy industry. In addition to their specialized expertise in propane systems, Chesmont, founded in 1973, brings engineering experience in the natural gas and industrial heat process industries.
IEA Releases 2020 Energy Efficiency Indicators Database
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Space heating is the largest end use in the residential sector in IEA (International Energy Agency) member countries, with approximately 48% share, according to a recent release by the agency. Since 2000, space heating intensity in households, which are defined as energy consumption per residential floor area, significantly decreased in most IEA countries. For instance, countries such as Australia, France, Germany, Korea, and Sweden have experienced reductions of more than 35% during this period.
Operation Safe Driver Week To Focus on Speeding
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2020 Operation Safe Driver Week will proceed as scheduled, July 12-18. During this week-long traffic enforcement safety initiative, law enforcement personnel throughout North America will be looking for drivers who are engaging in unsafe driving behaviors on the roadways. Identified drivers will be pulled over by law enforcement and may be issued a warning or citation.
Iraq’s OPEC+ Compliance to Fall Short of Target
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Iraq produced more than 650,000 bbld above its target output level in May and is now being asked to make up for its non-compliance in future months, says Rystad Energy. The consulting company estimates Iraq’s actual ability to cut more barrels is limited to between 300,000 and 500,000 bbld. Achieving any output target below 4 MMbbld is overambitious given Iraq’s current dire economic need for oil revenues.
Canadian Propane and Butane Inventories Surged in May 2020
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Canada’s primary underground propane inventories increased 60.8% in May to begin June at 1060.3 Mcm, the equivalent of 6.7 MMbbl, according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). The total represented a month-to-month gain of a whopping 400.9 Mcm. Compared to a year earlier, stocks surged 381.7 Mcm, or 56.2%.
U.S. NGL Output Set to Decrease 20% by End of 2021 from March’s All-Time High
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
The U.S. output of natural gas liquids (NGL), which reached an all-time high of 5.3 MMbbld as recently as March 2020, is poised for a sharp two-year decline, Rystad Energy’s (Oslo) base case view reveals. NGL production is forecast to fall to 4.4 MMbbld by the end of 2020 and reach its bottom, just below 4.2 MMbbld, a year later.
API’s May Monthly Report Shows Signs of Recovery
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
According to data released June 18 in the American Petroleum Institute’s May 2020 Monthly Statistical Report (MSR) and Q2 2020 Industry Outlook, the gradual reopening of state economies fueled a notable rebound in U.S. energy markets in the month of May. U.S. petroleum demand increased 14% to 16.2 MMbbld. Motor gasoline accounted for more than 80% of the increase in demand with monthly deliveries surging nearly 29% to 7.3 MMbbld after reaching a multi-decade low in April.
Oilfield Services and Equipment Sector Employment Continues Decline in May
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Research by the Petroleum Equipment and Services Association (PESA) found that employment in the oilfield services and equipment (OFS) sector fell by nearly 15,000 jobs in May, bringing total job losses due to pandemic-related demand destruction to more than 84,000. OFS employment is down 105,000 jobs from May 2019 and now stands at its lowest point since 2017.