Miscellaneous
The episode of Political Sidetrack, which explores politics from an energy perspective, wraps up the Marcellus-Utica Midstream Conference from Pittsburgh, where pipeline operators and natural gas producers weighed in on the new political and regulatory environment in front of them. While there was excitement over the Trump administration in the wake of executive orders to kickstart the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects, pipeline operators and natural gas producers on hand expressed “cautious optimism” about what it all means for other infrastructure projects in the near future. Many recognized the double-edged sword the actions present and acknowledged the biggest challenges for getting infrastructure projects off the ground remain at the state and local levels, despite a friendlier federal government. On this episode, host Len Vermillion and co-host Joseph Markman discuss what they heard at the conference and analyze what speakers had to say about the political environment the oil and gas industry now faces. Len and Joe interviewed Keith Coyle, attorney and shareholder at Babst Calland in Washington, D.C.. Coyle discussed the outlook for the regulatory environment as the new-look federal government takes control of the process. He forecast what operators can expect from the regulatory process and agencies such as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).