Two Republicans on the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee introduced legislation on Feb. 15 to keep the US Environmental Protection Agency from bringing gasoline with a 15% ethanol blend (E15) onto the market.

The US Chemical Safety Board said Chevron Corp. was aware of a problem with a corroded pipe before an Aug. 6, 2012, fire at Chevron’s 240,000 b/d Richmond refinery in Martinez, Calif.

Saudi Aramco Lubricating Oil Refining Co. (Luberef) has contracted with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. to provide project management consulting for an expansion at Luberef’s lube oil refinery in Yanbu.

CHS Inc. subsidiary Front Range Pipeline LLC will build a 7-mile connection in central Montana to link its Front Range crude oil pipeline with the Kinder Morgan Express Pipeline.

Howard Midstream Energy Partners LLC, San Antonio, will build a 200-MMcfd cryogenic natural gas processing plant in Webb County, Tex., and already has begun building an import and export railroad hub for oil field services and products, including condensate and NGLs.

Three US Senate Republicans introduced legislation to force the US Environmental Protection Agency to base annual cellulosic biofuel quotas on actual available production instead of projected estimates.

Engineering and plant design are in final stages for a diesel refinery in southwestern North Dakota that will process 20,000 b/d of Bakken crude oil.

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued 25 citations and proposed fining Chevron USA nearly $1 million for state safety standard violations stemming from an Aug. 6, 2012, fire at Chevron’s Richmond refinery. The fine would be the largest in Cal/OSHA’s history, the state agency said on Jan. 30.

The US Environmental Protection Agency proposed 2013 biofuels quotas representing a more than 1.35 billion gal increase from what it mandated for 2012. Officials from two leading petroleum trade associations immediately called the 16.55 billion gal total representing 9.63% of total projected US motor fuel production unrealistic and unreasonable.

Marathon Petroleum Corp. has completed its purchase of BP’s 451,000-b/cd refinery at Texas City, Tex., and will rename it Galveston Bay Refinery (OGJ Online, Oct. 8, 2012).

Williams Cos., Tulsa, has awarded a preliminary engineering contract for its proposed Canadian propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant to Fluor Corp., Irving, Tex.