Bill

Two Republican senators have introduced a bill that would codify a rule proposed last month by the Department of Energy (DOE) to expedite approval of small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, primarily to countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

As the legislative session wound to an end on Friday, California legislators in the past few days have passed a litany of bills regarding energy storage, wastewater handling and abandoned oil and natural gas wells.

House lawmakers passed a $1.2 trillion package of appropriations bills for the next fiscal year on Thursday, but not before Republicans successfully added four amendments targeting Obama-era rules, including those governing methane emissions and the “social cost of carbon.”

House lawmakers last week postponed debate over an appropriations bill to fund the Department of Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the next fiscal year, but not until after Republican lawmakers successfully tacked on a pair of amendments targeting two controversial Obama-era rules.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations has scheduled a hearing Thursday to consider a $38.4 billion measure to fund the Department of Energy (DOE) and Army Corps of Engineers, which would be a significant increase from the Trump administration’sfunding request.

After the Senate failed to repeal a rule governing flaring and venting of associated natural gas on public and tribal lands, a spokeswoman for the Department of Interior (DOI) said the department will “suspend, revise or rescind” the rule, citing its impact on onshore energy development.

Colorado House Republicans late Monday blocked a bill that would have required operators to provide the location of all their oil and gas subsurface systems in the state.

The latest version of a bill that would allow West Virginia’s natural gas producers to gather mineral owners into a large tract of land to better block-up acreage positions for horizontal drilling has been sent to the state Senate floor for consideration.

A revised bill to rewrite oil/natural gas rules in Idaho may be running out of time as the state’s legislature is scheduled to adjourn on Friday.