Why?
I picked this issue because of the recent natural
gas boom within the Utica and Marcellus shale group. Being a geologist, I’m very interested in
both of these formations and the economic values that this fissile; clay rich
rock has to offer to the world. The
economic aspects of natural gas are very intriguing too.
The Case: To Export Previously Imported Liquefied
Natural Gas
The specific article that I chose
to elaborate on was regarding exporting previously imported liquefied natural gas
from a foreign source. The company, Eni
USA Gas Marketing LLC, submitted an application to export foreign sources in an
amount up to 100 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas on a short term basis
– 2 year period starting in March of this year out of Cameron Terminal in
Cameron, Louisiana.
Eni USA Gas Marketing states that
the requested blanket authorization will allow it to sell foreign-sourced,
imported LNG in the most competitive market, either by regassifying the
imported LNG and selling it in domestic markets where demand warrants, or by
storing imported LNG and later selling it in other world markets where demand
is higher. This application also states
the in October 2012 the federal government granted another company the
permission to export previously imported foreign LNG.
Another key point is that there
will be no environmental impact during this 2 year process. The company states that there will be no new
facilities or modifications to any exisiting facilities at the Cameron Terminal. They also state that the number of LNG
exporting carriers will not increase.
Finally, according to this document, “granting this application will not
constitute a federal action significantly affecting the human environment
within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)” (Regulations.gov)
Work Cited
Regulations.Gov. Published January 22, 2013. Department
of Energy. Vol. 78, no. 14. Pgs
4400-4401
Hi, Brian:
ReplyDeleteGood job. This was just what I was looking for in terms of this assignment. You picked an interesting issue that had some personal resonance, gave it some good thought, and provided your opinion to the government. Your narrative shows that you are informed about this topic and that you read the proposed regulatory action thoroughly.
In general, I'm glad you found a regulatory action being taken by a federal agency that concerns an issue that the public arguably should care about -- energy production. The goal of this exercise was for you to see how important policy steps are being taken basically under our noses -- that a whole lot of environmental policy, including policy concerning energy, occurs via agency action and rule.
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