Iran Sanctions May Force BP To Shut UK Gas Field Earlier Than Planned

LONDON - BP PLC (BP.LN) may decide to shut down the Bruce natural gas field in the U.K. North Sea earlier than planned unless a way is found to restart production at the adjoining Rhum field, which is shutdown because of sanctions against Iran.

Without the inclusion of gas from Rhum, which could more than double the combined output of the fields, BP said it does not make commercial sense to keep running the older Bruce field, a BP spokesman said Tuesday. BP shut down production at Rhum in November 2010 due to Western sanctions that prohibit financial transactions with one of the field's joint owners, which is a unit of the National Iranian Oil Company.

Early decommissioning of any North Sea field would be a blow to the U.K. government, which has recently implemented a raft of tax breaks in an effort to bolster the country's energy security by keeping aging offshore oil and gas facilities operating. BP's warning comes just days after U.K. gas prices surged due to unseasonably cold weather, and unexpected production and pipeline outages.

A spokesman for the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change declined to comment on whether the government was doing anything to resolve the sanctions issue.

Referring to the possibility that BP and its partners may decide to bring forward decommissioning of Bruce, the spokesman said: "That's a commercial matter for BP and those involved."

The U.K.'s Foreign and Commonwealth Office declined to comment.

"The long-term future of the Bruce facilities is very closely tied to the ability to produce from Rhum. Given the uncertainties, we are considering what a decommissioning project would entail and how long it would take to execute," a BP spokesman said, without giving any further details.

Bruce, which started producing in 1993, is currently scheduled for decommissioning in the early 2020s, BP said. It produces 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, two-thirds of which is gas.

Production started in 2005 at Rhum, which is connected to the Bruce platform via a sub-sea pipeline. Rhum was producing around 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day of natural gas when it was shuttered, BP said.

Finding a solution to the sanctions problem would not be without precedent. Last year, U.K. and European Union officials convinced some U.S. lawmakers to ensure that any new sanctions against Iran should exempt the $20 billion BP-led natural gas project, Shah Deniz, in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Azerbaijan. Another unit of the National Iranian Oil Company has a 10% stake in the project.

Europe sees Shah Deniz as vital to diversifying gas supplies so the region is not too dependent on Russian imports.

France's Total SA (TOT), Australia's BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Japanese trading house Marubeni are also shareholders in Bruce. Bruce is located about 340 kilometers northeast of Aberdeen.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Aker Solutions Pens Frame Agreement with Petrobras

Aker Solutions has entered a frame agreement with Petrobras to provide subsea equipment for the oil company's deepwater pre-salt field developments in Brazil. The contract value is approximately $800 million (NOK 4.6 billion).

The scope of work is for 60 well-sets with vertical subsea trees, subsea control systems, tools and spares within the 2014-2018 period.

"Aker Solutions is honoured to work with one of the world's leading deepwater operators. This long-term agreement confirms our partnership with Petrobras and reflects our dedication to the Brazilian market," said Øyvind Eriksen, executive chairman of Aker Solutions.

Petrobras will deploy the 60 well-sets in the pre-salt field developments located 186 miles (300 kilometers) off the São Paulo coast in the Santos Basin.

"We are committed to developing the subsea industry in Brazil by growing our Brazilian expertise supported by our international competence network," said Luis Araujo, president and country manager of Aker Solutions in Brazil.

Aker Solutions has decided to further invest and expand in Brazil due to the $800 million-frame agreement with Petrobras and market forecasts for the Brazilian oil and gas industry.

A new subsea manufacturing facility will be established in Curitiba in the state of Parana, 497 miles (800 kilometers) south of Rio de Janeiro. This new technology center will replace the current plant by 2015 and will employ approximately 1,100 people.

Only the first few well-sets within the new frame agreement will be manufactured at the existing plant, while the remaining well-sets will be assembled and tested at the new facility.

"We are continuing our efforts to establish large scale manufacturing capabilities based on the technologies developed for Petrobras during our first pre-salt projects. Our proven pre-salt technology gives Aker Solutions a strong position in this market, and this will be used to further enhance local content, such as subsea control systems. Aker Solutions has continuously invested in developing the know-how and expertise of its employees in Brazil," said Araujo.

Aker Solutions is also investing within other parts of the Brazilian offshore industry. Last year, the company announced that it will build a new multi-purpose service site for its drilling equipment business in Macaé, 112 miles (180 kilometers) northeast of Rio de Janeiro, significantly expanding its capacity to serve the country's fast-growing drilling market. This site will be Aker Solutions' fourth facility in Brazil, in addition to sites in Rio das Ostras, Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro.

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First Oil in Sight at Huntington

The Huntington oil and gas field, located on Block 22/14b in the UK sector of the North Sea, is on track to commence production by the end of the month.

Sevan Marine reported that all risers are connected to the FPSO Voyageur Spirit as well as the entire Huntington system, from the wells to the FPSO. The final preparations for first oil and pre-commissioning are expected to take place shortly, Sevan Marine said in a released statement.

The transfer of title to the unit will commence upon first oil, which is dependent upon weather conditions and completion of certain final technical work.

Huntington's production facilities will have a capacity of 30,000 barrels of oil per day. Produced oil will be stored in the vessel's integrated tanks before it is shipped to the market with shuttle tankers, while natural gas will be exported via pipeline.

E.ON Ruhrgas UK E&P is the operator of the oil field, owning a 25 percent interest in the license. Other partners in the license include Altinex Oil Limited (20%), Premier (40%), and Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. (15%).

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@rigzone.com.

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Crude Oil Futures Squeeze Out Gain to Five-Week High

Oil futures eked out a gain Wednesday, setting another five-week high, as traders shrugged off a bigger-than-expected rise in crude-oil inventories.

Light, sweet crude for May delivery settled 24 cents, or 0.3%, higher at $96.58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement since Feb. 19. Brent crude on ICE Futures Europe settled 33 cents, or 0.3%, higher at $109.69 a barrel.

Crude oil spent most of the day in negative territory after the Energy Information Administration said U.S. oil stockpiles rose 3.3 million barrels last week, above the 700,000-barrel gain projected by analysts in a Dow Jones Newswires survey.

Meanwhile, stockpiles at the key U.S. hub of Cushing, Okla., rose 500,000 barrels, reversing recent declines that had signaled to traders that a supply glut there was drifting.

Still, the gains were muted by a drop in gasoline and distillate stockpiles and an increase in refinery activity, suggesting higher demand from refineries to produce to fuel. Prices scrapped their losses through the afternoon to notch a fourth straight session of gains.

"We've had a couple big days to the upside," said Peter Donovan, vice president at Vantage Trading in New York. "Today's sell-off was pretty meager and maybe guys read into it that this isn't ready to give anything back."

Gasoline stocks fell by 1.6 million barrels last week. Stocks of distillates, including heating oil and diesel, tumbled by 4.5 million barrels. Refinery utilization rose 2.2 percentage points to 85.7% of capacity.

Analysts had expected gasoline stocks to fall just 900,000 barrels and distillate inventories to give up 600,000 barrels. Refinery runs were seen rising a modest 0.3 points.

With Wednesday's gain, Nymex crude prices are up 6.5% so far in March, helped by expectations that a supply glut in the central U.S. had begun to ease and bring U.S. prices back in line with global benchmarks like Brent.

The gap between the two crudes has shrunk to around $13 a barrel, down from more than $23 in February. But Wednesday's reported inventory increase at Cushing--the Nymex delivery point--has undermined expectations that the supply glut was resolved.

"The Brent-[WTI] move continues to be a powerful factor in the market," said Andy Lebow, senior vice president of energy futures at Jefferies Bache.

Front-month April reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, settled 0.49 cent, or 0.2%, higher at $3.1155 a gallon. April heating oil settled 3.41 cents, or 1.2%, higher at $3.1155 a gallon.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Petrofac Training Services Unveils O&G eLearning Course

Fresh on the heels of its recent acquisition of eLearning specialist Oilennium, Petrofac Training Services (PTS) has announced the launch of "Introduction to Oil and Gas," a new eLearning course.

Developed by Oilennium, the course offers an engaging, interactive overview of the oil and gas industry that can be used to enhance a trainee's in-class training experience, and made available to thousands of employees around the world.

The Introduction to Oil and Gas course, which can be accessed any time online, offers a concise summary of how the industry works, from exploration and production upstream to processing and transmission downstream. This user-friendly course, which features full voiceover guidance and colourful 3D animations technology throughout, is completely interactive. When a module is successfully completed, a certificate is issued to reward the user's efforts, fuelling the learning process. Upon completing the 12-module course, the user will have a good understanding of how hydrocarbon fields are found and developed, industry terminology, and technical know-how.

Effective, Quality Training

At a time when unemployment is rising and major businesses are closing, the oil and gas industry continues to buck the trend. Not only is it thriving, the industry is actively recruiting and searching for ways to effectively train new employees, while simultaneously reducing training costs. According to Oilennium, this is where eLearning courses like "Introduction to Oil & Gas" come in.

"For years, operators and services companies have been struggling to offer standardised, quality training that complements the traditional classroom approach by reinforcing key points long after the trainee leaves the classroom," said Kevin Keable, managing director of Oilennium. "Not only is 'Introduction to Oil & Gas' cost-effective, it's the perfect starting point for employees new to the industry. It's an excellent method of training non-technical staff so that they can work more effectively with their engineering and technical counterparts. On the flip side, it's useful for technical staff. Even today a drilling engineer may have little understanding of how a process system operates and vice-versa. This course is ideal for anyone who needs to understand the industry as a whole," he added.

The accessibility offered by eLearning addresses another common challenge faced by training managers in the oil and gas industry: how to train technical staff working on rotation or offshore. Traditional classroom training demands that they be physically present. Because eLearning courses can be accessed from any device with internet access, this is no longer the case, saving thousands in employee expenses.

Engaging 3D Animation

Already, "Introduction to Oil & Gas" has been purchased by oil and gas companies of all sizes, individuals and many others. Why is it so popular? Oilennium began developing these courses, just as 3D animation technology improved dramatically. This made it possible to offer much more visual content, making them more attractive and compelling. The result: improved knowledge transfer and better knowledge retention. If Oilennium were to use only 2D animations, the courses could become slow and expensive to develop. However, by using its unique blend of techniques, Oilennium has kept costs down and quality up.

Charlie Mattocks, who recently landed a highly sought after apprenticeship in the UK with a major oil and gas operator following completion of the course, feels that taking it helped boost his prospects, especially during the interview. "I found the course easy to follow and liked being able to work at my own pace. The 'Rigs and Installations,' 'Drilling' and 'Offshore' modules were especially useful," said Mattocks.

"During my interview, I produced the certificates to show I had completed the course, in addition to my A levels and GCSEs. I believe they demonstrated my commitment, initiative, and willingness to learn, which helped me stand out from the other candidates," he added.

To mark the launch of 'Introduction to Oil & Gas,' PTS is offering the course at a reduced rate, either as a standalone or bundled with its best-selling training courses "Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training" (BOSIET), Universal BOSIET and "Minimum Industry Safety Training" (MIST). These courses provide safety and emergency training for the oil and gas industry, and are essential for those about to begin working offshore or are pursuing a career in this specialist environment.

Petrofac Training Services (PTS) is a division of the Petrofac Group, the international oil and gas facilities service provider. Founded in 1983, PTS is a leading provider of onshore and offshore safety, survival and emergency response training. It is based in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Oilennium is a division of Petrofac Training Services. Oilennium provides a broad range of learning programmes to numerous corporate clients, including Weatherford International, Perenco, EnerMech, Halliburton, AMEC SES, ECITB, Hydratight, Noble Drilling, Pacific Drilling, Marathon, Dolphin Geophysical, Seajacks and Tervita.

Copyright 2013 Oil & Gas News - Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group. All Rights Reserved.

(This article was originally published on March 25.)

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Eagle Ford Impact on South Texas to Keep Growing

Eagle Ford shale play activity in 2012 had an economic impact of $46 billion and supported over 86,000 jobs in the 14-county area in South Texas where Eagle Ford activity is more active, counties in South Texas, according to a report from UTSA's Center for Community and Business Research (CCBR).

The new study includes a 2012 update of direct, indirect and induced economic impacts by county in the 14-county and 20-county regions of the Eagle Ford shale. The report also provides a more comprehensive analysis of the economic impact in the Eagle Ford in regards to construction projects completed in 2012, crude oil transportation infrastructure, impacts on Texas Gulf Coast, impacts on Texas high education, innovations and advancements in natural gas applications, increases in county sales taxes, and pipeline construction costs.

The Eagle Ford shale's economic impact on South Texas in 2022 is estimated to grow to over $61 billion and support 89,000 jobs, according to the CCBR's latest study. The latest study released by CCBR focuses specifically on the impacts of 14 counties that are most active in the Eagle Ford play. These include Atascosa, Bee, DeWitt, Dimmit, Frio Gonzales, Karnes, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Webb, Wilson and Zavala.

Other impacts of Eagle Ford activity on the 14-county region include:

Roughly $3.3 billion in salaries and benefits paid to workersOver $800 million in local government revenuesState revenues including severance taxes are estimated at around $374 millionOver $22 billion in gross regional product (value added) impacts

However, significant activity beyond Eagle Ford exploration and drilling is occurring in six adjacent counties and are included in the analysis: Bexar, Jim Wells, Nueces, San Patricio, Uvalde and Victoria. In the larger 20-county area, Eagle Ford activity created over $61 billion in economic impact and supported 116,000 jobs last year. In 2022, the Eagle Ford's economic impact is estimated to grow to over $89 billion and support 127,000 jobs.

The Eagle Ford's impacts on the larger 20-county region in South Texas include:

$3.69 billion in payroll$28.43 billion in gross regional product (value added)$1.01 billion in total local revenues$1.24 billion estimated state revenue

Out of the top 10 industries within the Eagle Ford play in 2022, oil and gas extraction, support activities for oil and gas operations and drilling oil and gas wells will rank among the top three industries. The oil and gas extraction industry will have a total output of approximately $32 billion in 2022.

The CCBR in May 2012 released a study of the economic impact of the Eagle Ford which focused on production, drilling and related activities. In October 2012, the "Eagle Ford Shale Impact for Counties with Active Drilling" report provided a detailed image of challenges and opportunities emerging from drilling and production activities in South Texas.

CCBR also released in October of last year the report, "Workforce Analysis of the Eagle Ford Shale", which analyzed the impact of the Eagle Ford shale on the workforce of 20 South Texas counties and focused on occupational and workforce impacts including short term and long term effects on the region's workforce.

Karen Boman has more than 10 years of experience covering the upstream oil and gas sector. Email Karen at kboman@rigzone.com.

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First Production Achieved at Beibu Gulf

Roc Oil (China) Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of ROC, has advised that following the successful installation, hook - up and commissioning of offshore facilities for the Beibu Gulf project, first production has been achieved from two development wells, A5H and A2, on the WZ 6 - 12 wellhead platform.

Both onshore and offshore construction and drilling activities have been undertaken safely to date together with exemplary environmental stewardship . The project has expended approximately 3 .76 million man hours worked without a Lost Time Injury (LTI) or environmental incident.

The trial production period will continue until the next batch of three production wells, as envisaged within the scope of the original Overall Development Plan (ODP), are completed and brought on line in the next few weeks. On completion of the ongoing completions campaign, the HYSY 93 1 jackup drilling rig will drill three additional development wells (A8, A9 and A10) designed to maximize returns from recent exploration success. The successful A6 and A7 wells drilled late 2012 will also be equipped for production. A number of completion activities relating to hook - up and commissioning are still in progress. The WZ 6 - 12 operations will be constrained by simultaneous activities for a numbers of weeks whilst both drilling and commissioning works are finalized. On completion, 10 wells will have been drilled from the WZ 6 - 12 platforms and connected to the production system, five more well's than originally contemplated in the ODP.

The drilling rig is expected to move to WZ12 - 8 West wellhead platforms for the final phase of development drilling during the third quarter. Production from the Beibu fields will progressively ramp up through the year as batches of development wells are drilled, completed and brought on line.

Copyright 2013 Dion Global Solutions Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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The team of oil & gas lobbyists behind Gov. Hickenlooper’s agenda

It should come as no surprise that in the 2013 legislative session alone, the oil and gas industry spent $1.06 million defending Gov. Hickenlooper’s pro-Big Oil agenda.

As a Chesapeake lobbyist wrote in a January 2013 memo that the lobby firm accidentally emailed to state legislators, “[Gov. Hickenlooper’s] relationship to the oil & gas industry is strong and he has been a national leader speaking out against the anti-fracturing forces that have invaded Colorado.”

Gov. Hickenlooper has had a team of oil and gas lobbyists supporting his administration’s work to gut or kill legislation at the state capitol. In fact, a Colorado Ethics Watch report released this week found that oil and gas lobbyists outnumbered oil and gas inspectors by a 28-to-17 margin during Fiscal Year 2012-2013.

That investment has paid off big for Gov. Hickenlooper and the oil and gas industry during the 2013 legislative session.

Gov. Hickenlooper gutted a bill that would have set mandatory minimum fines for oil and gas companies that pollute rivers and water. After the bill died, his administration announced it would not fine Williams Company for polluting Parachute Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River, with cancer-causing benzene so long as it adhered to a consent order.

His administration actually opposed an effort to add more oil and gas inspectors out in the field and opposed a bill which would have brought more balance to the commission that oversees oil and gas drilling and fracking operations in the state.

With huge sums of lobbying cash behind him, it is no wonder that Gov. Hickenlooper has been able to keep Colorado weak on polluter crime when it comes to oil and gas.

The report released this week by Colorado Ethics Watch found that the oil and gas industry has spent a whopping $4.7 million on lobbyists from Fiscal Years 2008-09 through 2011-12 – more than any other industry in Colorado except the health care industry.

For those tracking Chesapeake closely, the company spent $130k on lobbying efforts over the last four years. Other top oil and gas lobbying spenders since 2009 include Pioneer Natural Resources at $640k, Shell at $571k, Encana at $415k, Bill Barrett Corporation at $376k, Marathon at $293k, Williams Energy at $285k, ExxonMobil at $272k, Anadarko at $260k, Black Hills at $224k, and, of course, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association at $402k.

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Pemex Awards Engineering Contract to Cal Dive

Pemex Exploracion y Producion (PEMEX) awarded Cal Dive International, Inc. an engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning contract for the Abkatun-Pol-Chuc project in the Bay of Campeche. The contract has an estimated value of $63 million and will utilize the company's vessels.

The scope of work consists of engineering, procuring, installing and commissioning 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) of eight-inch subsea pipeline and associated tie-ins to four existing platforms.

The Abkatun, Pol and Chuc reservoir complex, which has been producing light grade oil since the 90s, is located to the southwest in the Bay of Campeche. These three fields account for the largest light oil reserve in the area, producing roughly 305,400 barrels of oil per day in 2009. However, production has decreased by about 50 percent since 1996.

Pemex is looking to increase production by further delineating the field.

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Schlumberger Launches Downhole Reservoir Testing System

Schlumberger announced Tuesday the launch of the Quartet-HT high-performance downhole reservoir testing system. This latest addition to the Schlumberger portfolio of reservoir characterization services delivers high-quality measurements and reservoir-representative fluid samples with increased safety and efficiency in ultrahigh-temperature reservoirs to 410 degrees Fahrenheit (210 degress Celsius).

"This complete downhole testing system can isolate, control, measure and sample all in a single run," said Sameh Hanna, president, Testing Services, Schlumberger. "In addition, the new ultrahigh-temperature technology allows us to position our test tools deeper and closer to the reservoir for the best possible test results and help our customers more accurately characterize their reservoirs."

The Quartet-HT system offers significant advantages over conventional drillstem test string designs, including lower operating pressure, fewer seals and connections, multicycle flexibility, single-trip efficiency, and high-resolution quartz measurements. The new system combines four leading downhole technologies engineered specifically for high-performance ultrahigh-temperature reservoir testing: CERTIS high-integrity reservoir test isolation system, IRDV intelligent remote dual valve, Signature quartz gauges and SCAR inline independent reservoir fluid sampling.

Rigorous qualification testing, which includes shock, vibration, temperature and pressure, was performed at test facilities located in France, the United Kingdom and the United States. The quartz gauge electronics used in the Quartet-HT system underwent 3,000 hours of qualification testing above the maximum operating temperature limit. The quartz gauges have been used for more than 20,000 cumulative hours of reservoir testing operations including operations in Asia, Australia and the Middle East where the tool has successfully recorded entire jobs at temperatures exceeding 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius).

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State Department Inspector General Probing Keystone XL Contractor’s Conflicts of Interest

In yet another investigation into the Obama Administration’s activities, the State Department Inspector General is probing the conflicts of interest surrounding the contractor that performed the Keystone XL review,.

The American public was supposed to get an honest look at the impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline. Instead, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), a fossil fuel contractor, hid its ties from the State Department so they could green light the project on behalf of its oil company clients.

Hiring an oil company contractor to review an oil pipeline that its clients have a financial interest in should be illegal – and it is. The Federal Government has strict laws to avoid conflicts of interest and prevent the hiring of contractors who cannot provide unbiased services.

Unredacted documents from the contractor’s proposal (revealed by Mother Jones) show that the company had worked for TransCanada, ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies that have a stake in the Canadian Tar Sands.

But, ERM misled the State Department at least twice in its proposal (see C&BP’s original post on ERM’s conflicts of interest)– which may have led to its selection by the State Department to review the Keystone XL pipeline.

First, ERM answered “No” to the question “Within the past three years, have you (or your organization) had a direct or indirect relationship (financial, organizational, contractual or otherwise) with any business entity that could be affected in any way by the proposed work?“ ERM appears to have added to the Yes/No questionnaire that, “ERM has no existing contract or working relationship with TransCanada.” Regardless of the addendum, the oil company contractor misled the State Department by checking “No” to the specific question above. Despite the fact that unredacted documents show that ERM worked for TransCanada and other fossil fuel companies with a stake in Keystone XL pipeline in the three years prior to its proposal.

Second, ERM claimed it was not an energy interest. The State Department question defines an energy interest in part as any company or person engaged in research related to energy development. Yet, ERM has worked for all of the top five oil companies and dozens of other fossil fuel companies. In other words, ERM is clearly an energy interest.

How can we trust ERM to perform an honest review of the Keystone XL pipeline, if it can’t answer a yes/no question honestly?

These misleading statements should have been flagged by the State Department and the contractor should not have been able to perform the review because of these seeming conflicts of interest.

Because of the issues above, Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) and 11 environmental, faith-based and public interest organizations sent a letter  [.PDF] on April 8, 2013, calling on Secretary of State John Kerry and the State Department Deputy Inspector General Harold Geisel to investigate two things: first, whether ERM hid conflicts of interest which might have excluded it from performing the Keystone XL environmental assessment and second, how State Department officials failed to flag inconsistencies in ERM’s proposal.

A few weeks later, C&BP received a voicemail from a Special Agent at the State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG):

Hello Mr. Elsner, my name is Special Agent Pedro Colon from the State Department’s Office of Inspector General.  I’m calling to inform you that we have received your request and are reviewing the matter.  If you have any questions please contact me at 703-284-2688.

On May 7, 2013, I called Special Agent Colon but he was unable to speak at the time. I followed up the next day and spoke with the Special Agent via phone regarding the request for an investigation. I asked a few basic questions about the status of the complaint and asked specifically if C&BP would be informed should the complaint be fully investigated by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Special Agent Colon informed me that he could not speak to any of the questions and referred us to other staff in the OIG.

On May 9, 2013, I received an email from the OIG General Counsel saying, “that the complaint was being processed per the OIG hotline procedures and is under review.” (See the entire email correspondence here [.PDF])

I then asked the OIG General Counsel the same question he asked Mr. Colon:

If the hotline is moved out of the review process and onto the next step (an investigation?), will I be notified?

The OIG  replied via email saying that the OIG Office of Investigations will not comment if it is engaged in an investigation.

The correspondence between C&BP and the OIG indicates that there is a probe into the Keystone XL review conflicts of interest.

The public was supposed to get an honest look at the impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline. Instead, ERM, an oil company contractor, misled the State Department, in what appears to be an attempt to green light the project on behalf of oil industry clients.

The American Public needs a full investigation into the conflicts of interest and misleading statements of the Keystone XL review contractor, Environmental Resources Management.

Secretary Kerry needs to stop the Keystone XL process until the Inspector General completes a full investigation of these conflicts of interest and the State Department has an unbiased review of Keystone XL’s impact.

Filed under KeystoneXL Tagged with Big Oil, Checks and Balances Project, Energy, Energy Production, Environment, ExxonMobil, John Kerry, Keystone, Keystone XL, politics, Secretary Kerry, State Department, Tar Sands, TransCanada, US State Department

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