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More than two months after a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas judge struck down a Cleveland suburb's charter amendment…

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a pair of bills on Wednesday that would prohibit localities from restricting or placing outright bans on a long list of oil and gas activities, and spelling out that such regulations are the dominion of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC).

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a pair of bills on Wednesday that would prohibit localities from restricting or placing outright bans on a long list of oil and gas activities, and spelling out that such regulations are the dominion of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC).

At midday Friday, after three hours of debate, Texas state Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) had fought back 10 amendments to his House Bill 40, which is intended to prevent municipalities from enacting ordinances that interfere with oil/gas drilling. HB 40 was passed to engrossment on a vote of 122-18 and faces one more vote in the House before passing to the state Senate.

At midday Friday, after three hours of debate, Texas state Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) had fought back 10 amendments to his House Bill 40, which is intended to prevent municipalities from enacting ordinances that interfere with oil/gas drilling. HB 40 was passed to engrossment on a vote of 122-18 and faces one more vote in the House before passing to the state Senate.

After opponents of legislation to limit how much Texas municipalities may regulate oil/natural gas drilling activities had been rallying for hours at the state capitol, the bill’s author pulled it from the House floor Tuesday because of discrepancies in a committee report on the legislation and for further consideration of amendments.

Con Edison of New York (Con Ed) set a new record for natural gas consumption last week after a blast of cold weather hit its service area, which includes most of New York City and Westchester County, NY.

Denton, TX, the Barnett Shale town where earlier this year residents voted to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracturing), is considering tightening its ordinances on natural gas drilling — increasing scrutiny of wells and placing new requirements on operators.

Denton, TX, anti-frackers are marshaling forces to defend the city’s voter-approved and recently enacted ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) against a challenge by the oil and gas industry as well as a Texas state agency.