Amended

In what would be an historically high fine, the safety staff of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last week amended its $2.25 billion penalty recommendation against or Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) concerning the San Bruno, CA, natural gas pipeline rupture, to include a minimum of $300 million paid to the state’s general fund.

The full House Energy and Commerce Committee last Wednesday voted out amended legislation that aims to speed up the permitting of interstate natural gas pipelines by both federal and state agencies.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) amended its oil and gas well construction requirements rule (Statewide Rule 13) to clarify requirements related to casing, cementing, drilling, well control and completions. The rules include innovations that put the state “back into a leadership position on regulation of oil and gas well construction,”

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) amended its oil and gas well construction requirements rule (Statewide Rule 13) to clarify requirements related to casing, cementing, drilling, well control and completions. The changes take effect Jan. 1, 2014 and apply to any wells drilled on or after that date.

With only one day to go before the Colorado General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn, the energy industry and Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, have quashed nearly all proposed legislation to revise state oil and gas regulations.

One of the seven Pennsylvania municipalities that sued over the legality of Act 13, the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law, is now considering changes to its local drilling ordinance to comply with the measure, a move intended to help it collect more than half a million dollars in impact fee revenue.

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) recently approved St. Lawrence Gas Co.’s amended certificate of public convenience and necessity for a system expansion in upstate New York. Construction is set to begin this month, the Enbridge Gas Distribution subsidiary said.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Tuesday approved draft rules to implement new or amended potential matrices to be guidelines in determining penalties for safety violations of state regulations governing safety of pipelines, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as underground pipeline damage prevention.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said he would introduce an impact fee for Marcellus Shale producers this month.