NYC’s drab construction fences will get an artsy upgrade

New York City’s hundreds of miles of construction fencing and scaffolding are going to get a bit of a facelift. The city’s Department of Cultural Affairs recently launched a pilot program that calls on artists and non-profit organizations to submit proposals for artwork that will temporarily live on certain sidewalk sheds and construction fences throughout the city.

City Canvas, as this program is called, is a two-year pilot program that’s being conducted in collaboration with the city’s Department of Buildings and the city’s Mayor’s office. The goal of the program is two fold: to make the general pedestrian experience in the city more attractive to New Yorkers and visitors alike; and also give artists and non-profit organizations a chance to display their work and earn recognition.

The Cultural Affairs department is looking for one or more non-profit cultural organization to implement this pilot program, and interested parties have until October 12 to apply.

“New York City is one of the most vibrant built environments in the world, and City Canvas is a great opportunity to let some of the artists working in our neighborhoods help to enliven and enhance our public spaces,” said Tom Finkelpearl, the NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner, in a statement.

The city has previously held competitions for site specific sidewalk shed improvements; one winner unveiled their designs in front of a Flatiron office building and near City Hall last year. Other organizations have also proposed quirky solutions to enliven the otherwise dreary sidewalk shed areas. Some places where you can currently see artwork on construction fences include the World Trade Center area, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the Domino redevelopment site in Williamsburg.

https://ny.curbed.com/2018/9/18/17874170/nyc-sidewalk-shed-construction-fence-beautification

Mexico Starts Oil Contract Reviews With Talos-led Deal

Mexico’s incoming government has begun its promised review of oil contracts, starting with a major project won by a consortium led by U.S.-based Talos Energy, the country’s next energy minister said.

Set to become Mexico’s first leftist leader in modern history when he takes office in December, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador vowed during the campaign to review all oil contracts awarded under his predecessor for signs of corruption. He won a landslide election victory in July.

Officials with Talos Energy, which also holds a 45% stake, and Premier Oil, which has 10%, did not respond by Sept. 18 to requests for comment.

The CEO of Sierra Oil & Gas, which holds a 45% stake in the project, welcomed the review.

“They should check everything,” Sierra CEO Ivan Sandrea said in an interview. “Along with the entire industry, I’m most interested that they clear up all of their thoughts that there was manipulation.”

The consortium secured development rights for two blocks in 2015 during the first oil auction launched by the outgoing government of President Enrique Pena Nieto, following a landmark energy overhaul that ended the decades-long monopoly enjoyed by national oil company Pemex.

In 2017, the consortium, which also includes Britain's Premier Oil and Mexico’s Sierra Oil & Gas, said its Zama-1 well drilled in the Area 7 shallow water block confirmed the discovery of a deposit that could hold between 1.2-1.8 billion barrels of crude oil.

The contract and subsequent find are now under the microscope of Lopez Obrador’s top energy aides.

“We’re making progress” in reviewing several contracts, Rocio Nahle, designated to be the next energy minister, told Reuters on the sidelines of meetings earlier this month between Lopez Obrador and energy company officials. “We’re beginning with that one.”

The texts of the more than 100 E&P contracts are all accessible online and the rolling auctions that awarded them have been lauded by sector analysts for their transparency.

The consortium estimates for the deposit confirmed by the Zama-1 well could extend into a neighboring block operated by Pemex.

The two sides are negotiating an agreement to determine the size of each parties’ claim.

https://www.oilandgasinvestor.com/mexico-starts-oil-contract-reviews-talos-led-deal-1716191#p=full

New technology planned for Alpha oil shale project

Greenvale Energy Ltd., Sydney, has appointed consulting firm SRK Consulting (Australasia) Pty. Ltd. to progress development of the Alpha oil shale project in central Queensland inland from Rockhampton using a radio frequency (RF) microwave extraction technique.

The Alpha torbanite deposit is in mineral development lease 330 and contained within the late Permian-age Colinlea sandstone in the Galilee basin.

Key features of the development plan are focused on lowering the initial project capital costs and achieving the lowest possible oil-recovery costs.

The RF process entails low-pressure microwave heating, which Greenvale declares is environmentally benign. The technique combines RF heating and critical liquid driving where critical fluid technology uses the solvent properties of gases compressed at their critical point.

Greenvale explained that oil industry equipment drills into the deposit and places a RF antenna or transmitter into the oil shale. The emitted ray energy heats the oil shale and critical point carbon dioxide drives the oil to the well. The oil is brought to the surface where it condenses and is stored. Carbon dioxide is separated and recycled downhole.

The SRK program will carry out many tasks, including magnetic and gravity modelling to define compartments within the oil shale deposit as well as perform an analysis of geophysical and petrophysical data. It also will study the potential for in-situ RF microwave extraction via lateral wells and define any additional deeper resources, along with sampling and geochemical analysis.

Contingent resources estimation will be made based on the potential of deeper zones and the potential of in-situ extraction compared to mining and surface processing techniques.

https://www.ogj.com/articles/2018/09/new-technology-planned-for-alpha-oil-shale-project.html

Boynton’s massive Town Square construction project begins

BOYNTON BEACH —  Boynton Beach officials kicked off the huge Boynton Beach Town Square project Monday morning with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The quadrant in the city’s east end is poised to grow into a walkable downtown offering more than chain restaurants and rundown buildings.

Mayor Steven B. Grant started the project with a sledgehammer on the Boynton Beach Civic Center building.

The city manager, mayor and commissioners, as well as private and public partners including the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and E2L, donned hard hats and safety glasses and picked up their construction gear as part of the first Town Square demolition crew.

“It is a great time to come to Boynton Beach to live, to work, and to play,” Grant said.

Residents and business owners will have to deal with construction for the next couple of years, but once everything is complete, the city will be more vibrant.

Palm Beach County’s third largest city is getting a $500 million makeover that is expected to finally transform Boynton. The entire project is expected to be complete by September 2019.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/photos-boynton-massive-town-square-construction-project-begins/wsFDBdT8DfzGEMsBnjALAM/

Editorial: Reissued permits allow pipeline construction to resume

On Monday, federal regulators reissued two permits that will allow construction of the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) to resume. The two permits had been vacated in August by a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission lifted the stop-work order it had imposed last month in response to a ruling by the court of appeals that denied permits allowing the project to cross the Blue Ridge Parkway and possibly harm endangered or threatened animal species.

The National Park Service has reissued a right-of-way permit for the pipeline to cross beneath the scenic drive between Augusta and Nelson counties, and the Fish & Wildlife Service issued a new biological opinion on Sept. 11 that confirms the project wouldn’t jeopardize the habitats of any endangered or threatened species in its path.

Dominion went to extraordinary lengths to ease concerns and meet stringent federal criteria. The applicable agencies were obligated to reissue the necessary permits. “Construction activities along project areas which had previously received a notice to proceed may now continue,” said Terry L. Turpin, director of the commission’s office of energy projects.

Turpin authorized construction to resume on the Mountain Valley Pipeline last month, weeks after the commission halted work on that 303-mile project in response to another 4th Circuit decision that vacated its permit from the U.S. Forest Service to cross national forest lands.

Opponents of the pipeline are not happy the permits have been reissued. They have fought mightily to prevent construction of the pipelines. But they are in the minority. By a large majority, Virginians support the pipelines and appreciate that the ACP and the MVP will provide jobs and opportunity while posing very little threat to our priceless natural resources.

https://www.richmond.com/opinion/our-opinion/editorial-reissued-permits-allow-pipeline-construction-to-resume/article_20f64026-939a-54eb-b59a-c2ead3c32b98.html

Saturn Oil & Gas Commences Drilling of 20 Well Horizontal Program

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, Sept. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. (“Saturn” or the “Company”) (TSX.V: SOIL) (FSE: SMK) is pleased to announce that the Company has commenced drilling of their 20 well horizontal drill program (the “Program”) that will run to the end of Q1/2019. The first well of the Program was spud on September 11th, 2018 upon the successful closing of the previously announced USD $20 million revolving note facility with Prudential Capital Group (see news release dated September 14th, 2018).

The Program will consist of 17 Viking light oil wells, primarily extended reach horizontals over their Kerrobert, Prairiedale, Milton and Plato assets. The Program will also include three Success heavy oil horizontal wells at their Flaxcombe and Milton assets. As of today, the Company has successfully drilled and cased the first well of the Program and currently drilling the second well.

Scott Newman, COO of Saturn, commented: “This 20 well horizontal program is the culmination of a year of planning, strategic land acquisitions and de-risking assets. A development program of this scale provides us the means to achieve our corporate goal of exiting 2018 with a production rate in excess of 1,200 barrels of oil per day.”

Additionally, pursuant to the Company's Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”) it has granted a total of 4,700,000 stock options at a price of $0.20 per common share to directors and officers of the Company. As per the Plan, the options granted are exercisable until September 17, 2023 and vest over a period of 18 months from the date of grant. Grant of the options are subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company has also appointed Mr. Geoff Jones, CPA, CA as Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Stuart Houle, P.Eng, PMP as VP of Engineering & Operations for Saturn.

Mr. Geoff Jones, CPA, CA, formally VP of Finance with Saturn, is a Chartered Professional Accountant that has been directly responsible for the financial operations of the Company through its recent growth.

Mr. Stuart Houle, P.Eng, PMP has worked in the oil and gas industry for over 13 years. He has held roles of increasing responsibility with Husky Energy as well Frontier Engineering Corp. and Horizon Resource Management Ltd. Mr. Houle brings a strong operational background in construction, drilling, completions, production and facility engineering. Mr.Houle is a registered Professional Engineer with APEGA.

https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/09/17/1571783/0/en/Saturn-Oil-Gas-Commences-Drilling-of-20-Well-Horizontal-Program.html

Shell sets methane emissions intensity target for operated assets

Royal Dutch Shell PLC plans to maintain methane emissions intensity below 0.2% by 2025, the company reported. The target covers all oil and gas assets for which Shell is the operator.

“This methane target complements Shell’s ambition to cut the net carbon footprint of our energy products by around half by 2050, which we announced in November 2017,” said Maarten Wetselaar, Shell’s integrated gas and new energies director. “Such efforts are a critical part of Shell’s strategy to thrive during the global energy transition by providing more and cleaner energy.”

To maintain the methane target, Shell is implementing programs including using infrared cameras to scan for methane emissions, deploying advanced technology to repair leaks, and replacing high-bleed pneumatically operated controllers with low-emission alternatives.

Shell recognizes that there remains uncertainty with measuring methane emissions. “This is an industry-wide issue and we need to fix this fast,” said Wetselaar. “We must get a much more accurate understanding of how much we are emitting.”

The target for methane—which has a higher impact on global warming than carbon dioxide when released into the atmosphere—will be measured against a baseline Shell leak rate, which is currently estimated to range 0.01-0.8% across the company’s oil and gas assets.

“Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, but it has a relatively short lifetime in the atmosphere. That means reducing methane emissions brings immediate climate benefits, buying some time while we work out longer-term solutions,” said Mark Radka, head of UN Environment’s energy and climate branch. “This commitment by Shell is encouraging in itself, but also because of the signals it sends to the rest of the industry.”

Shell is involved in a range of initiatives focused on reducing the emissions intensity of methane throughout the full supply chain. In 2017, Shell brought together industry, international institutions, nongovernmental organizations and academics to develop a set of Methane Guiding Principles (OGJ Online, Jan. 4, 2018).

The company has been an active member of the World Bank-sponsored Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership since 2002. As part of the partnership, the World Bank has developed the Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative, which Shell signed in 2015.

https://www.ogj.com/articles/2018/09/shell-sets-methane-emissions-intensity-target-for-operated-assets.html

Construction starts on Santa Monica Sears’ transformation into ‘vibrant’ retail, office, food complex

Work is underway now to turn the former Sears in downtown Santa Monica into an office and retail complex aimed squarely at Silicon Beach’s tech industry workers, owners Seritage Growth Properties and Invesco Real Estate announced today.

The 100,000-square-foot property will offer “an abundance of indoor and outdoor space, spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, and a vibrant mix of street level restaurants and retail,” said Benjamin Schall, president and CEO of Seritage Growth Properties.

Office tenants will also have access to a transportation hub: The property is located adjacent to the terminus of the Expo Line at Colorado Avenue and Fourth Street.

The landmarked building, now called Mark 302, will undergo a host of renovations, including seismic retrofitting, the creation of a fourth story and an atrium, and the addition of a landscaped rooftop deck.

A 2017 estimate placed the cost of the renovation at $50 million.

Renderings of the completed project show skylights, criss-crossing walkways, open-plan workspaces, and cut-outs in the floors to allow for sunlight to filter through all floors.

Mark 302 is expected to open in fall 2019.

The Santa Monica Sears is one of a handful of Sears buildings being repurposed into mixed-use developments. In Hollywood, CIM Group is moving forward with plans to turn a Sears shuttered since 2008 into a retail and residential complex with 375 housing units and nearly 265,000 square feet of retail.

In Boyle Heights, a large Sears complex will be reused and create over 1,000 residential units, almost 100,000 square feet of commercial space, and 250,000 square feet of offices. The Sears on-site is still operating and will be incorporated into the mixed-use plans.

https://la.curbed.com/2018/9/12/17851526/santa-monica-sears-construction-offices-and-retail

Administration announces plan to streamline oil and gas extraction in national forests

The Forest Service plans to submit a rule that would make it easier to explore oil and gas drilling, as well as mineral mining, in National Forests.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the Forest Service, is planning to revise the contents of the agency's oil and gas resources regulations, according to one advance notice of proposed rule-making submitted to the Federal Register on Wednesday.

The new rule would aim to "streamline" procedural requirements for oil and gas leasing and extraction from the 154 national forests and 20 grasslands managed by the Forest Service. Oil and gas is currently being developed on 44 national forests and grasslands.

"It is in the national interest to promote clean and safe development of our Nation’s vast energy resources, while at the same time avoiding regulatory burdens that unnecessarily encumber energy production, constrain economic growth, and prevent job creation," the rule notice reads.

The rule follows an earlier Trump executive order labelled: “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth." Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke similarly referenced the executive order in a previous announcement that the agency is looking to expand offshore drilling lease sales.

The USDA rule clearly states that by eliminating the regulatory burdens, fossil fuel extraction could be done more quickly.

"The intent of these potential changes would be to decrease permitting times by removing regulatory burdens that unnecessarily encumber energy production. These potential changes would promote domestic oil and gas production by allowing industry to begin production more quickly," the notice reads.

Also Wednesday, USDA submitted another advance rule notice on mineral extraction in Forest Service land that aims to make it easier to process requests to mine key minerals including gold, zinc and uranium.

The changes closely follows recommendations from a 1999 National Research Council report and 2016 Government Accountability Report that suggested ways to streamline communications across the agency.

"Increasing the consistency of the agencies’ procedures and rules would benefit persons who conduct locatable mineral operations on the public lands managed by the [Bureau of Land Management] as well as on National Forest System lands managed by the Forest Service," the notice reads.

The aim of the change, according to the notice, is to increase mineral prospectors' interests in mining on forest land.

"This change should enhance operators’ interest in, and willingness to, conduct exploratory operations on National Forest System lands and ultimately increase the production of critical minerals, consistent with both of these sections of the Executive Order," the notice reads.

Republicans and administration officials have supported increased mineral extraction on public lands, arguing that U.S. could strengthen its reserves of key minerals — including the highly controversial uranium.

House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) wrote a letter to Zinke and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue last September urging them to consider expanding mineral extraction on public lands and national forests, writing, "Unfortunately, under the prior administration, mineral access on Federal land was regularly and systematically blocked, harming our nation's economic and strategic potential."

But environmentalists and conservationists have pushed back on the administration's plans to make it easier to extract natural resources on federal lands.

Taylor McKinnon, public lands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the planned rule changes "appalling."

“These appalling Trump administration proposals would ramp up fracking and mining damage to public lands and wildlife,” McKinnon said in a statement. “Our national forests matter more than private industry profits. But the Forest Service is abdicating its mission to protect these wild places to ram through whatever industries want. Both rules will meet fierce fights.”

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/406349-administration-announces-plan-to-streamline-oil-and-gas-extraction

Green technology poised to disrupt oil and gas water management process

Horizontal fracking revolutionized the oil and gas industry a decade ago, opening up access to natural resources previously thought inaccessible deep underground.

Now the industry is ready for its next revolution: shifting the costly water management paradigm from waste to revenue stream.

Not only do oilfield developers use a lot of fresh water – 2.2 billion barrels in 2017 – they end up with a lot of briny water they have to dispose of – 660 million barrels last year, according to Boston-based Bluefield Research.

Imagine the economics if that water was a source of revenue – instead of costly waste.

South Louisiana-based Blackstar Environmental Group has created a technology that can treat the water directly at a well site. The process separates out clean water, salt and skim oil, which are valuable resources to be used again or sold.

“Saltwater disposal is always one of the major cost centers,” said Gifford Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association. “Having a product like what Blackstar has created certainly can solve a lot of the challenges and can potentially be a major cost saver for producers.”

Dealing with the water that’s produced when a well is drilled involves major transportation costs, Briggs said. Those costs are eliminated with Blackstar’s on-site technology.

“Depending on where you are, if you don't have an injection well on-site, you've got to take all the produced water, load it into trucks, transport those trucks and pay to have the disposal done,” Briggs said.

“If you instead have the ability to just hook (the water stream) up to Blackstar’s machine and do it all on-site, it has potential to save you from a time standpoint, from a management standpoint and certainly a financial one,” he said. “And being able to sell the salt that's separated out is an added benefit.”

Salt is in demand for use in swimming pools, water softeners, road de-icing in cold-weather climates and more. And there is rising demand for fresh drinking water and water for industry and agriculture. The global water and wastewater treatment market is expected to hit $675 billion by 2025, according to Felton, California-based Hexa Research.

“Companies have been giving away their waste stream and paying somebody to take it away and getting hit with extra charges, like washout fees,” said Blackstar CEO Ben Vinet. “Our research in certain regions has shown that we can cut companies’ waste stream costs by as much as 50 percent.”

The technology underwent a six-month pilot in Wyoming this year. State officials there concluded it was a successful, environmentally safe option.

In fact, following the pilot, the state legislature drafted and passed "HB0172 Produced Water Treatment" exempting companies from paying taxes on flare gas used to process by-product water.

“This is a green technology,” Vinet said. “In Wyoming, we're taking the waste from one industry and creating a beneficial reuse – fresh water for agricultural irrigation.

“Instead of continuing to draw on the aquifer, oil and gas companies can recycle the water instead of using new water,” he said.

Another ecofriendly outcome from these efforts is the elimination of a good amount of trucking that damages county and city road infrastructure. There are even reports, such as a study led by the University of Bristol, that show a link between wastewater injection into the ground and man-made earthquakes.

The Blackstar technology “is going to be revolutionary to the industry. It is something nobody has ever been able to do at this level on location,” said Robby Leger, partner with Lafayette, Louisiana-based consulting firm VCG Energy LLC, a firm hired by oil companies to serve as on-location manager for drilling jobs. “It's going to bring transformation for oil companies that they have an option to actually make money on their wastewater.”

The oil and gas industry isn’t the only sector that can benefit from Blackstar’s technology, he said. Another option could be humanitarian efforts in clean water-deprived regions of the world or agriculture watering projects for drought-stricken areas.

“There are so many avenues this technology can go to. In dry regions of the world, it can turn wastewater into safe drinking water.”

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2018/09/12/green-technology-poised-to-disrupt-oil-and-gas.html

Walsh Says He Plans To Look At Policies Affecting High-End Construction

A new report from a Washington think tank, The Institute for Policy Studies, looked at property records from 12 luxury condo buildings in the Boston and found that 64 percent of the owners in these buildings do not claim a residential tax exemption.

The Institute for Policy Studies says that the lack of residential tax exemption is a good indicator or absentee ownership, assuming that the owners do not deem the tax benefits as negligible.

To cut down on that, the Institute wants the city to levy a tax on high-end real estate transactions over $2.5 million. Mayor Marty Walsh says he plans to look at his policies affecting high-end construction, but isn’t interested in such a tax.

“I don't think we should start taxing at different rates,” Walsh told WGBH News. “I think we need to look and see what's in front of us right now.”

The Institute’s report says the luxury building boom is driving up housing costs in central neighborhoods, which then contributes to higher costs throughout the city but Walsh says he doubts that a recent boom in downtown luxury condos affects housing prices in the rest of the city.

“I'm not sure how much a Millenium tower $20 million condo on top is affecting housing stock in Dorchester. But it's something we have to look at,” he said. “What that report does, it causes us to take a re-look and evaluation to see if we kind of need to re-plan some of the things we're doing in the city.”

Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards, chair of the Committee on Housing and Community Development, and Chuck Collins, one of the report’s authors were both on “Greater Boston” Tuesday night to discuss the report.

Collins said the boom in luxury housing causes a negative ripple effect, with affluent, but not super-rich Bostonians being priced out of the city core.

"They're moving out into other neighborhoods and that's competing with middle-class households and low-income households who are just trying to stay in the city,” Collins said.

Collins says spot checks also turned up suspicious sales transactions, "Purchasing a $6 million dollar condominium with cash by a Delaware organized limited liability corporation—that's a red flag.”

Delaware is the premier secrecy jurisdiction in the country, Collins says, adding that the city could discourage secret and absentee owners, and could tax luxury condos to fund affordable housing. The Walsh administration said in a statement they will be asking the federal government to look out for possible ties to financial crime by anonymous buyers of luxury housing.

During the segmment with Jim Braude, Edwards said that the city could not build its way out of the affordable housing shortage.

"These units are not actually going to Bostonians," she said, referring to the units in the report.

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2018/09/11/walsh-says-he-plans-to-look-at-policies-affecting-high-end-construction

Energean Oil & Gas Swings To Interim Profit On Higher Oil Prices

LONDON (Alliance News) - Energean Oil & Gas PLC on Wednesday reported a swing to an interim profit from a loss the year before despite a small dip in revenue.

The Mediterranean-focused oil and gas production company posted pretax profit for the six months ended June of GBP82.1 million, improved from the GBP4.4 million loss reported in the first half of 2017.

Energean's sales revenue decreased 1.9% to GBP26.3 million from GBP26.8 million.

Energean - which listed on the London Stock Exchange in March and is now a constituent of the FTSE 250 index - increased its working interest production 50% to 688,000 barrels of oil equivalent in the half-year from 459,000 barrels of oil equivalent a year previous.

Realised oil price in the half increased 33% to USD57.7 per barrel of oil equivalent from USD43.5 per barrel of oil equivalent, it said.

The cost of production increased in the period to USD13.2 million from USD12.0 million, but the cost of production per barrel improved to USD19.4 from USD26.3.

Energean's proved plus probable reserves multiplied in the period to 349 million barrels of oil from 51 million at the end of 2017.

The company also had a foreign exchange gain of USD18.7 million in the period, swung from a USD22.2 million loss a year before.

The company expects to list on the Tel Aviv stock exchange in the fourth quarter of the year.

Energean said operations in Israel are progressing in line with expectations. Its Karish and Tanin developments remain on track for first gas in the first quarter of 2021.

A competent persons report filed in August showed the developments' proved and probable gas reserves are 2.4 trillion cubic feet of gas, with 70% net to Energean.

Energean currently has "firm contracts" to sell 4.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year into the Israeli domestic market.

Looking ahead, the company expects an "active" 18 months ahead. Development drilling is expected in the first half of 2019 in Israel as the it focuses on "optimising production" for its Greece operations.

Energean said "well phasing and contribution" will be the "key drivers" of production levels in 2019.

The company narrowed its full-year production guidance to be between 4,000 and 4,250 barrels of oil equivalent per day, from a top range of 4,500, due to replacement infill drilling at its Prinos well.

The company expects production to be more than 10,000 barrels of oil per day by 2021.

Chief Executive Officer Mathios Rigas said: "During the period we made substantial progress in de-risking our flagship Karish and Tanin development project. We signed a lump-sum, turnkey engineering, procurement, construction, installation & commissioning contract with TechnipFMC, simplifying project management and reducing our financial risk exposure, and secured USD12 billion of future revenue by signing 12 firm gas sales agreements to deliver a total of 4.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year.

"Over the next 18 months we aim to prove up sufficient resource to fill the 3.8 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year of spare capacity in our Karish floating production storage and offloading vessel, delivering significant incremental value to our stakeholders. Our independent reserves auditor has identified 7.5 trillion cubic feet of gas of Israeli prospective resource with a high geological probability of success, which gives us confidence that we can meet this target whilst adhering to our exploration strategy to target resource that can be quickly and economically monetised. We look forward to the results from the Karish North exploration well in the second quarter of 2019."

Shares in Energean Oil & Gas were down 3.5% Wednesday at 526.00 pence each.

http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1536740275821354500/energean-oil--gas-swings-to-interim-profit-on-higher-oil-prices.aspx

Idaho Transportation Workers Find 2 Explosives Under Bridge

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho transportation officials say bridge inspectors found two undetonated explosive devices at the base of a bridge that spans the Snake River near Nampa. Both devices have been removed and destroyed, and a sweep of the area did not turn up any additional explosives.

Idaho Department of Transportation spokesman Jake Melder said the unexploded military ordnances were found underwater near piers supporting the bridge. A video of one of the devices posted by the Idaho Transportation Department online shows what appears to be a corroded artillery shell about 28 inches long.

ITD worked with a bomb squad from the Nampa Police Department, the Mountain Home Air Force Base and the U.S. Military to remove the ordinances and determine next steps.

Melder said it was the first time that an explosive device has been found near an Idaho bridge, and the department believes it is unlikely to happen again.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/idaho/articles/2018-11-13/idaho-transportation-workers-find-2-explosives-under-bridge

EPA proposes changes in 2016 production emissions control rules

The US Environmental Protection Agency proposed changes in its 2016 New Source Performance Standards for the oil and gas industry that it said would streamline implementation, reduce duplicative EPA and state requirements, and markedly decrease unnecessary burdens for producers. The targeted improvements package is expected to save as much as $484 million in regulatory costs from 2019 through 2025, or $75 million/year, it said on Sept. 11.

“These commonsense reforms will alleviate unnecessary and duplicative red tape and give the energy sector the regulatory certainty it needs to continue providing affordable and reliable energy to the American people,” Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said.

The proposed changes would affect provisions in the 2016 rule covering fugitive emissions, wellsite pneumatic pump standards, requirements for certification of closed-vent systems, and alternative means of emissions limitations (AMEL) provisions.

Additional amendments to clarify and streamline implementation dealt with well completions (location of a separator during flowback, screen-outs, and coil-tubing clean-outs), onshore natural gas processing plants (definition of capital expenditure and monitoring), storage vessels (maximum average daily throughput), and general clarifications (certifying official and recordkeeping and reporting).

“Lastly, in addition to the proposed revisions addressing reconsideration and implementation issues, EPA is proposing technical corrections of inadvertent errors in the final rule,” it said in its proposal.

Other proposed changes

Additional changes that would be made aimed to align requirements between EPA’s rule and existing state programs, modify the frequency for monitoring leaks (also known as “fugitive emissions”) at compressor stations as well as wellsites, and make it easier for owners and operators to use emerging measurement technologies in monitoring leaks, EPA said.

EPA said it will take comments on the proposal for 60 days following its publication in the Federal Register in the next few days and hold a public hearing about it in Denver. “The agency continues to consider other policy issues in the 2016 rule, including the regulation of greenhouse gases in the oil and gas sector, and will be addressed in a separate proposal at a later date,” it said.

“Today’s technical amendments recognize successful infrastructure already in place in states like Ohio to protect public health and the environment,” said Ohio EPA Director Craig W. Butler in Columbus. “EPA’s commonsense proposal supports state leadership through cooperative federalism and removes unnecessary red tape and burdensome duplication that only serve as roadblocks to responsible energy development in Ohio.”

Three major US oil and gas trade associations also applauded EPA’s move.

“We welcome EPA’s efforts to get this right and the proposed changes could ensure that the rule is based on best engineering practices and cost-effective,” said Howard J. Feldman, senior director of regulatory and scientific affairs director at the American Petroleum Institute in Washington.

Independent Petroleum Association of Association Pres. Barry Russell said in Washington that EPA’s proposal “reverses the growing mistakes of the past.”

He suggested that it’s important for states to play an important role in decisions that affect their citizens, industries, and natural resources. “This proposal does just that: It empowers the states to work with the federal government on the best regulatory approaches,” Russell said.

In Denver, Western Energy Alliance Pres. Kathleen Sgamma said EPA is fixing a rule that was purposely designed during the Obama administration to tie the US oil and gas industry up in red tape.

“By fixing the numerous technical problems with the original rule, EPA will enable industry to continue its 4-decade success record of reducing methane emissions,” she said.

https://www.ogj.com/articles/2018/09/epa-proposes-changes-in-2016-production-emissions-control-rules.html

Distraught mom leaves baby son with good Samaritan at construction site

A distraught mother handed her 3-month-old son to a total stranger in Brooklyn Tuesday morning before collapsing on the ground moments later, according to witnesses and new video from the scene.

Footage shows the mother standing inside the construction site at Lenox Road and New York Avenue around 8:20 a.m., with another woman a few feet away cradling her baby.

The mom frantically screamed, “My baby! My baby!” according to workers at the site.

“[The good Samaritan] was trying to calm her down,” said site supervisor Schlome Stern.

Then she started “talking about marital problems, problems with her husband,” before collapsing to the ground, Stern said.

The video captured her lying on the pavement for several seconds before running away.

“When she heard us call the cops, she ran off,” Stern said.

Police brought the infant to Kings County Hospital across the street for observation.

The mother ran to the same hospital on her own, and checked herself into the psych ward, according to Stern and police.

“I didn’t expect something like this to happen,” Stern said. “It’s very sad but I’m very happy that there were nice people. And the cops were great.”

Cops would like to speak to the Good Samaritan who took the baby, though it did not appear that anyone would be charged Tuesday afternoon, police said.

https://nypost.com/2018/11/13/mom-arrested-for-leaving-baby-son-at-construction-site/