Amendment

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) on Tuesday adopted rule changes that are intended to more closely regulate drilling waste disposal wells in areas of the state where there has been or could be heightened seismic activity.

For the second time in six months, voters in the City of Youngstown, OH, will be asked to pass an amendment to the city’s charter that would ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and several other activities that support shale development.

Appalachian midstream provider MarkWest Energy Partners LP and private equity fund The Energy and Minerals Group (EMG) have completed an amendment to give EMG a larger stake in their joint venture (JV) in the Utica Shale.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) voted unanimously on Thursday to clarify several portions of Act 13, the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law, as to how it pertains to levying an unconventional natural gas drilling impact fee.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. shareholders jettisoned two board members up for reelection and approved three shareholder-initiated resolutions at the company’s annual meeting in Oklahoma City, signaling a turning point for the operator’s corporate governance and likely for the future of CEO Aubrey McClendon.

As was expected, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman on Tuesday signed into law a measure allowing the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) to resume its review and oversight of an alternate route for the northern portion of the Keystone XL oil pipeline project. It is effective Wednesday.

Opponents of TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline accused Nebraska legislators Wednesday of bowing to the Alberta-based pipeline company’s interests after the lawmakers solidly approved legislation 44-5 to allow the pipeline to traverse the state.

Companies in Arkansas would have to reveal all of the chemicals they will use during hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations at new natural gas wells in the state prior to fracking, according to rule changes being considered by the state’s Oil and Gas Commission (AOGC).

In last Thursday’s story titled “Senate Amendment Would Preserve FERC’s Market Authority” (see Daily GPI, May 20), NGI incorrectly stated that both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission carried out legal action against Amaranth Advisors LLC and its principal over the manipulation of gas futures prices in 2006. Both agencies have carried out legal action only against Amaranth Advisors LLC. NGI regrets the error.