Japanese Firm to Set Up Houston Compressor Plant
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation (MCO), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), is to establish MHI Compressor Manufacturing, LLC in Pearland, Texas, to produce and service oil industry compressor equipment. The company will produce and service compressors in the U.S. market to accommodate demand generated by rapid growth in shale gas and oil development. Supported by this growth, many new petrochemical plant construction projects are planned, and heavy demand for renewal of existing plants is expected.
Bill Allowing Offshore Drilling Introduced in Congress
An effort to open Virginia's coast to offshore drilling gained new momentum in Congress when Virginia's senators introduced legislation giving states the option to drill for natural gas. The bill would give governors of coastal states the power to opt out of a federal moratorium that prohibits offshore drilling in most U.S. coastal waters. The new legislation comes one week after the Bush administration signaled its support for such proposals by calling for a study of potential gas and oil development in Virginia waters. Unlike other recent drilling bills, however, the new legislation is limited to natural gas drilling - thereby keeping in place a federal ban on offshore drilling for oil.
