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A look back at Kavanaugh's past energy, environmental decisions and dissents

While he was a judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Brett Kavanaugh weighed in on some of the most pivotal issues impacting energy producers in the past decade, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to regulate mercury and greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon capture leaders call for more funding to commercialize technology

While several carbon capture technologies are in the works and have developed small-scale models, industry representatives said they need more research and development funding to cross the threshold into commercial viability.

Houston hub: US crude exports drive calls for new pricing market at port city

With the amount of crude oil being shipped to the Texas Gulf Coast increasing, some producers are calling for a new pricing hub in Houston to reflect overseas demand for U.S. crude and rival the Cushing, Okla., hub, where prices are driven by domestic factors.

OPEC compliance 110% in September for 12 members with quotas: Platts survey

OPEC's 15 countries boosted crude oil output in September to 33.07 million barrels per day, a 180,000 bbl/d rise from August, according to an S&P Global Platts survey of analysts, industry officials and shipping data released Oct. 5, as the producer group seeks to instill confidence in its ability to keep the market well-supplied.

Trump's brashness on trade belies US dependence on global mines

Rising trade tensions between an import-dependent U.S. and its global trading partners pose a potential threat to national security and supply chains throughout the U.S. economy.

Quoted

"Allowing agencies to exercise that kind of statutory re-writing authority could significantly enhance the Executive Branch's power at the expense of Congress' and thereby alter the relative balance of powers in the administrative process. I would not go down that road," Newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in a December 2012 dissent from a majority decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, upholding EPA regulations for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

Power

* An October 2017 order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established an illegal interpretation of a Clean Air Act provision intended to control pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants, the Sierra Club argued to a federal appeals court Oct. 4.

* Duke Energy Corp. confirmed to The Charlotte Observer that it is offering buyouts to some of its employees as part of a continuous operations review "to identify opportunities for improvement."

* Global renewable power capacity additions will be strongly led by solar photovoltaic in the next five years, with the European Union's renewable electricity growth overtaking the U.S. but China staying firmly in first place by 2023, the International Energy Agency said in its annual report on renewables published Oct. 8.

* The Conservation Law Foundation has dropped appeals on new permits for two gas-fired power plants in Massachusetts, citing a recent decision by the state Supreme Judicial Court to place the facilities on track to reduce their emissions.

* Consumers Energy Co. is lobbying lawmakers to cut its personal property tax for utility transmission assets, which would double by 2025 due to a 10-year infrastructure modernization program, Crain's Detroit Business reported.

* The Board of Light & Power secured approval from the Grand Haven City, Mich., Council for its first solar power purchase agreement, the Grand Haven Tribune reported. BLP plans to close its J.B. Sims coal-fired plant to avoid an overhaul in 2020.

Natural gas

* North American oil and gas industry debt maturities will spike to $68.1 billion in 2022 as lenders become more comfortable with higher-risk segments like oilfield services, according to a report from Moody's.

* The Northampton City, Mass., councilors are asking Columbia Gas to justify the need for a proposed pipeline to meet gas demand, WWLP-22News reported. Columbia Gas is formally known as Bay State Gas Co.

* In a clear indication of a ramp-up in U.S. oil and gas drilling activity, both well completions and drilled but uncompleted wells increased in the third quarter of 2018.

* Riley Exploration Permian Inc., an independent oil and natural gas company, launched an initial public offering of 6,666,667 common shares at an anticipated price between $14 per share and $16 per share.

* Midstream energy company 3 Bear Energy LLC has placed into service its Northern Delaware Gathering and Processing System.

Oil

* Canada-based Irving Oil Ltd. confirmed a "major incident" occurred at 6:58 a.m. ET on Oct. 8 at its 320,000-barrel-per-day Saint John refinery following local reports of a fire and explosion at the facility.

* Enbridge Energy LP is calling on Minnesota regulators to deny appeals on their decision to approve the Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement, according to The Associated Press.

* National Oil Corp., BP PLC and Eni SpA have agreed to work toward Eni acquiring 42.5% interest in the BP-operated exploration and production sharing agreement in Libya.

* Phillips 66 and BP America Inc. are the top donors against a statewide carbon tax in Washington, according to a Puget Sound Business Journal analysis.

* The White House plans to ask the Environmental Protection Agency to draft a regulation for the year-round sale of E15, an ethanol-blended gasoline, The Hill reported, citing a memo.

* The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control has granted a conditional license and assurance to Serica Energy plc and BP relating to the U.K. North Sea Rhum field. The Iranian Oil Co. (U.K.) Ltd. holds an interest in the Rhum field.

Coal

* ERP Compliant Fuels' Pinnacle coal mine in West Virginia was idled Oct. 4 and is expected to permanently close within two weeks, the Bluefield (W.Va.) Daily Telegraph reported.

* Peabody Energy Corp. declared a force majeure on its North Goonyella coking coal due to elevated gas levels at the Australian mine site, S&P Global Platts reported, citing market sources.

* Australia has called a recommendation by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to phase out coal by 2050 as "irresponsible," the Financial Times reported.

ChartWatch

Pacific Northwest hydropower generation fell below historical averages in September amid drier-than-normal conditions.

New from RRA

* The North Carolina Utilities Commission on Oct. 5 issued an order establishing a procedure for utilities to flow back savings from the reduction in the corporate income tax rate to ratepayers.

The day ahead

* Early morning futures indicators pointed to a lower opening for the U.S. equity markets. To view more SNL equity market indexes, click here. To view more SNL Energy commodities prices, click here.

Click here to read about today's financial markets, setting out the factors driving stocks, bonds and currencies around the world ahead of the New York open.

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