Agencies

A wealth of previously unavailable information about oil and natural gas resources and activity in Wyoming is becoming available through the auspices of two state agencies.

Gov. Bev Perdue issued an executive order on Monday calling on various state agencies to organize a work group to study hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and then make recommendations for the best ways to regulate the practice.

In its final rule to eliminate harmful air pollution from oil and natural gas production announced Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the industry a “reasonable” time to meet its requirements, extending the deadline for full compliance from 60 days to two and a half years.

Pennsylvania is on its way to officially charging a fee for Marcellus Shale drilling. Gov. Tom Corbett signed House Bill 1950 on Monday evening, giving shale gas-rich counties in the state the ability to impose a 15-year impact fee on unconventional gas wells; now it’s up to the locals.

Two Interior Department agencies have issued updated guidance to oil and natural gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) on how to conduct archaeological resource surveys and prepare archaeological reports, based on additional new information about the likely location of historical resources.

The two major credit rating agencies Thursday reacted mostly positively to $500 million in unsecured debt for El Paso Corp.’s pipeline partners unit, affirming its “B” ratings and designating the outlook as “positive.”

The American Petroleum Institute (API) said many existing regulatory and industry efforts on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) were overlooked by the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Natural Gas Subcommittee’s initial report on the practice, which was released last week.

A cooperative and coordinated effort by state and federal agencies and the industry to develop and promulgate “best practices” is key to winning the public’s trust and to successful development of the nation’s shale gas resources, according to a highly anticipated report issued Thursday by a federal advisory panel.

A cooperative and coordinated effort by state and federal agencies and the industry to develop and promulgate “best practices” is key to winning the public’s trust and to successful development of the nation’s shale gas resources, according to a report issued Thursday by a federal advisory panel.