Candidate

In their first presidential debate Wednesday, Republican candidate Mitt Romney and President Obama sparred over the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, oil and natural gas tax incentives and whether the increase in gas production over the past couple of years was the result of Obama administration policies.

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday unveiled an energy plan that he said would open more federal lands to oil and gas drilling and would make North America energy independent by 2020 — the final year of his second term in office — if he is elected this November.

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday unveiled an energy plan that he said would open more federal lands to oil and gas drilling and would make North America energy independent by 2020 — the final year of his second term in office — if he is elected this November.

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday unveiled an energy plan that he said would open more federal lands to oil and gas drilling and would make North America energy independent by 2020 — the final year of his second term in office — if he is elected this November.

Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp. eschewed all talk on Wednesday that its North American onshore properties are anything but stellar by announcing a $1 billion increase to the 2012 capital spending budget, with nearly all of the money to be focused on exploration efforts in the company’s in-house unconventional portfolio.

In his energy plan released Thursday, Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry called for dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the suspension and reconsideration of several rules administered by the EPA, the creation of a separate court to address challenges to energy projects, and greater access to onshore and offshore oil and natural gas resources.

In his energy plan released Thursday, Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry called for dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the suspension and reconsideration of several rules administered by the EPA, the creation of a separate court to address challenges to energy projects, and greater access to onshore and offshore oil and natural gas resources.

The most widely used chemical in hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) between 2005 and 2009 was methanol, “a hazardous air pollutant…on the candidate list for potential regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act [SDWA],” and dozens of other hydrofracking chemicals are known or possible human carcinogens, according to a report issued April 16 by Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The most widely used chemical in hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) between 2005 and 2009 was methanol, “a hazardous air pollutant…on the candidate list for potential regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act [SDWA],” and dozens of other hydrofracking chemicals are known or possible human carcinogens, according to a report issued Saturday by Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.