Bill

Hours before President Obama was to give his State of the Union address, Republicans in the U.S. Senate showed some willingness to work with Democrats on energy issues, after giving overwhelming support to a bipartisan amendment to the Keystone XL pipeline bill and agreeing to discuss six more amendments — three from each party.

A bill authorizing construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline took another step toward passage in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday after lawmakers successfully used a parliamentary procedure to kick off debate over the bill.

Emboldened by the first Republican majorities in both houses of Congress since 2006, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) has reintroduced the “Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act,” (HR 161), which would establish a set deadline for federal and state agencies to approve pipeline applications.

The first day of GOP control of the U.S. Senate started off on a testy note Tuesday after a pair of lawmakers introduced a bill to approve construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline and President Obama promised to veto it.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will face a $60 million cut in its funding and will have to cut staff to the lowest level since 1989 if President Obama signs the $1.01 trillion spending bill that passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support.

An omnibus bill making its way through Ohio’s General Assembly that critics argued had ballooned into legislation catering to special interests, including the oil and gas industry, has stalled in the state Senate, where lawmakers said they need more time to sift through its hundreds of pages.

Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have passed a bipartisan bill designed to help propane distributors and customers withstand shortages and price spikes. The bill on Friday was headed to President Obama’s desk for his signature.

A $1.1 trillion omnibus spending plan that would fund the federal government through the middle of 2015 — which was approved by the House late Thursday and expected to be approved by the Senate Saturday — includes a provision revising a key portion of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Lawmakers in both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly have unanimously passed a bill requiring operators of unconventional oil and gas wells to report their production on a monthly basis, a similar practice in other major producing states. The bill is awaiting Gov. Tom Corbett’s signature.