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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is asking state lawmakers to hold firm on local zoning restrictions included in legislation to impose an impact fee on natural gas drillers.

President Obama in his annual State of the Union speech for the first time issued a strong call for development of domestic natural gas and oil as part of “an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.”

President Obama, in his annual State of the Union speech Tuesday night, for the first time issued a strong call for development of domestic natural gas and oil as part of “an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.”

President Obama in his annual State of the Union speech Tuesday night, for the first time issued a strong call for development of domestic natural gas and oil as part of “an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.”

On the final evening of debate before state lawmakers recessed for the year, critics of a impact fee in Pennsylvania fought to increase the amount of revenue raised by the proposal.

Producers operating in the Barnett Shale town Arlington, TX, will have to comply with new rules enacted Tuesday that call for greater drilling site security and improved aesthetics of drilling locations for future wells. Surveillance cameras will be required at drilling locations, and the use of diesel-powered rigs is banned within 450 feet of residences and other designated places. The vote was 7-0 in favor of the ordinance revision with one council member absent and one seat unfilled. Previously, some members had expressed reservations about the changes, saying they might be too onerous for the industry. One change that favors drillers is the allowance of concurrent applications for specific-use permits and gas well permits. Council initially approved the rules last month (see Shale Daily, Nov. 21).

A unit of Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP plans to build a $90 million gathering system in northeastern Pennsylvania to connect Southwestern Energy Co. wells in the region to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.’s (TGP) Line 300.

National Fuel Gas Co. (NFG) will continue to go it alone in the Marcellus Shale, the company said during a quarterly earnings call last Friday.

August natural gas was unchanged Monday in trading largely described as technical with little impact from forecasts continuing to call for oppressive heat throughout major energy markets. At the close August had settled flat at $4.546 and September was up 0.4 cent to $4.524. August crude oil fell $1.31 to $95.93/bbl.