Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday nominated state Inspector General Bruce Beemer to serve as attorney general (AG). The nomination comes after Kathleen Kane was convicted on Monday of felony perjury charges for leaking grand jury testimony to a Philadelphia newspaper. She resigned as AG on Tuesday. Kane sparred at times with the oil and gas industry, filing criminal charges against XTO Energy Inc. for a spill at a drilling site and a wide-ranging lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy Corp. for deducting post-production costs from royalty checks (see Shale Daily,Aug. 5,Dec. 9, 2015). Her first deputy, Bruce Castor Jr., was sworn in as acting AG on Wednesday. Wolf has the authority to appoint Kane’s successor. The Senate must confirm Beemer’s appointment, which it’s expected to do quickly. He has the backing of Republican Senate leadership, Wolf’s office said. Beemer formerly served as first deputy in the AG’s office prior to Kane’s tenure. When she was elected he stayed, but he eventually left after testifying against her. Kane’s replacement will only serve a short tenure as a new AG is to be elected by voters in November.
Bruce
Articles from Bruce
Investigation, Cleanup Ongoing at Site of Statoil Fire in Ohio
An investigation into the cause of a large fire last weekend at a Statoil ASA drilling site in Monroe County, OH, near the West Virginia state line continued on Thursday. Cleanup efforts were expected to last several days, said an Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) spokesman, Thursday.
North Dakota Sets More Records; Eyes Feds Warily
North Dakota continued on a record-setting pace for oil and natural gas production at the end of the first quarter, but state Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms also raised caution in his most recent monthly “Director’s Cut” report released Friday.
Industry Brief
Copano Energy LLC plans to add an additional 400 MMcf/d of cryogenic processing capacity at its Houston Central complex in Colorado County, TX, to meet demand from producers in the liquids rich Eagle Ford Shale. The expansion would bring Copano’s cryogenic capacity at the facility to 1 Bcf/d. The project is expected to cost $190 million and be in service mid-2014. Copano also announced a new long-term fee-based gathering and processing agreement with a “major” Eagle Ford producer, which combined with previously announced producer commitments, will support the expansion. Copano had previously announced plans for an initial 400 MMcf/d cryogenic processing expansion at Houston Central, which is expected to be in service during the first quarter of 2013 (see Shale Daily, April 21, 2011). “This second cryogenic expansion project reaffirms our commitment to being a leading midstream service provider in the Eagle Ford shale,” said CEO R. Bruce Northcutt.
New Brunswick Legislators Use ‘Free Vote’ to Back Shale Gas
A nonbinding “free vote” to support responsible gas development in the emerging Frederick Brook Shale in New Brunswick passed the Legislative Assembly along party lines Tuesday (Dec. 12), erasing fears that support for shale gas could be cracking among the governing Progressive Conservatives.
Canada’s Gas Exports to U.S. Continue Their Decline
Canadian natural gas exports deteriorated further during the 2009-2010 heating season, contributing to an accelerating switch of drilling targets to oil north of the border.
Canada’s Gas Exports to U.S. Continue Decline
Canadian natural gas exports deteriorated further during the 2009-2010 heating season, contributing to an accelerating switch of drilling targets to oil north of the border.
People
R. Bruce Northcutt, the president and COO of Copano Energy LLC, has been elected CEO following the death of John R. Eckel Jr., who was chairman and CEO. Eckel, who was 58, founded Copano in 1992 and served as president and CEO until April 2003 when he was named chairman. Under Eckel’s leadership, Copano grew from a single 23-mile natural gas pipeline to a successful midstream natural gas company with more than 6,000 miles of pipeline and seven processing plants in Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming and Louisiana. Copano was the first midstream company to trade publicly as a limited liability company. In addition to his roles at Copano, Eckel served on the board and on the executive committee of the Texas Pipeline Association, and as CEO of Live Oak Reserves Inc., an exploration and production company that he founded in 1986. William L. Thacker, who has served on Copano’s board since the company’s initial public offering, has been elected chairman.
ALJ Certifies FERC Enforcement, Oasis Pipeline Settlement
FERC Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Bruce Birchman last Monday certified under seal a joint offer of settlement that, if ultimately approved by the agency, would resolve all charges that Energy Transfer Partners’ Oasis Pipeline LP and affiliates discriminated against nonaffiliated shippers and charged excessive rates in violation of Section 311 of the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA).
ALJ Certifies FERC Enforcement, Oasis Pipeline Settlement
FERC Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Bruce Birchman Monday certified under seal a joint offer of settlement that, if ultimately approved by the agency, would resolve all charges that Energy Transfer Partners’ Oasis Pipeline LP and affiliates discriminated against nonaffiliated shippers and charged excessive rates in violation of Section 311 of the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA).
