Committee

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Gas Resources Committee, blasted the Obama administration’s final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the land management plan that will guide oil and natural gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) in the years ahead, saying it would restrict access to more than 80% of the gas reserves.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has attacked the Obama administration’s proposed plan to manage oil and natural gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), saying that its proposal would unilaterally ban exploration in half of the 23 million-acre reserve.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, attacked the Obama administration’s proposed plan to manage oil and natural gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), saying that its proposal would unilaterally ban exploration in half of the 23 million-acre reserve.

Driven primarily by continuing record oil production from the Bakken Shale formation, North Dakota’s economy is booming and is on target to produce more than $3.5 billion in tax revenues by the end of the state’s current two-year (2011-2013) fiscal year budget period, according to the state tax commissioner.

Taking two opportunities to field questions on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in as many days, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he supports “home rule” legislation and believes such powers would be an appropriate method for communities that support drilling to have it.

A proposal to place a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in California (AB 972) passed out of a state senate committee Tuesday and is headed for further consideration, but the bill faces stiff opposition by industry.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. is in advanced negotiations to sell all of its midstream assets, including its stake in Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP (CHKM), for more than $4 billion, a transaction that could be completed in the next few days, sources told NGI’s Shale Daily on Wednesday. The bidder is said to be private equity giant Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which initially helped to fund the master limited partnership (MLP) and which continues to be a joint partner.

ExxonMobil Corp.’s shareholders once again will see a resolution on their proxy statements that would force the largest U.S. natural gas producer to issue a report about the financial impact from regulatory and community impacts associated with hydraulic fracturing (fracking) within its drilling operations.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing Wednesday (March 14) to consider multiple nominations to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the Interior Department. The nominees include Tony Clark, who currently is chairman of the North Dakota Public Service Commission, to be a FERC commissioner; John Norris for a second term at FERC; Adam Sieminski, chief energy economist for Deutsche Bank, to head the EIA; and Marcilynn Burke to be an assistant secretary of the Interior.