Adequately

A bill advancing through the Kansas Legislature would amend existing regulatory law and give the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) explicit authority over hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

State regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) practices in Arkansas is “well managed and professional” but has room for improvement in a few areas, a recent review found.

As Pennsylvania lawmakers move to increase the bonding requirements for shale operators, a new Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) study questions whether bonding adequately ensures reclamation.

A new report that slams the natural gas industry and state regulators for “widespread violations of Arkansas clean water standards” in the Fayetteville Shale is based on old data and overlooks the fact that some of the report’s recommendations already have been implemented, state regulators told NGI’s Shale Daily.

The jurisdiction dispute between FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should be decided by lawmakers in Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff and his immediate predecessor, Joseph Kelliher, said during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington, DC, Tuesday.

The jurisdiction dispute between FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should be decided by lawmakers in Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff and his immediate predecessor, Joseph Kelliher, said during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington, DC, Tuesday.

Royal Dutch Shell plc said it will appeal a federal judge’s ruling that its shareholders had “adequately” shown reason for the court to examine allegations concerning restatements of its oil and natural gas reserves last year. The class action lawsuit by two pension funds was filed last year questioning whether Shell, and its executives and auditors purposely omitted important facts concerning the company’s restatements (see Daily GPI, June 28, 2004).

Although the industry probably won’t have difficulty attaining a near record level of gas in storage for the upcoming heating season, some observers would like to see the federal government exert more control over storage to ensure there is sufficient gas in reserve on a regular basis throughout the year to keep downward pressure on gas prices.

Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) said in a report released last week that Canadian provincial electricity markets are adequately supplied. In Alberta, where supply has been relatively tight, the NEB noted that new generation capacity is being built.