Conservative

Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Chairman Barry Smitherman plans to run for Texas attorney general (AG) next year, but only if current AG and fellow conservative Greg Abbott does not seek re-election. An AG’s office headed by Smitherman would be pro-drilling and a staunch opponent of federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation.

Expanded use of combined heat and power (CHP) for making electricity could, under one scenario, boost natural gas demand in the United States by as much as 4.42 Tcf/year, according to a report commissioned by the American Gas Association (AGA).

Canada’s Conservative government has deflected a first stab at obtaining special corporate tax breaks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, but supporters vow to keep on trying.

Canada’s federal Conservative government has deflected a first stab at obtaining special corporate tax breaks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, but supporters vow to keep on trying.

Williams, which has been expanding its onshore presence in the Marcellus and Utica shales, late Tuesday snagged a deal to significantly expand its onshore footprint in a $2.4 billion transaction to acquire half of the natural gas pipeline system once owned by Chesapeake Energy Corp.

A policy analyst for a conservative think tank in Ohio blasted Gov. John Kasich’s plans to levy new severance taxes for natural gas, accused the Obama administration of waging a “war on coal” that hurts the state and urged legislators to repeal renewable energy requirements.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) on Tuesday downgraded the corporate credit rating of Chesapeake Energy Corp. to “BB-” from “BB” and said the outlook was “negative.” The ratings on related entities Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP and Chesapeake Oilfield Operating LLC also were cut because the units are so closely tied to the parent, S&P noted.

After meeting with members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last Wednesday, Tea party conservative Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called on the Senate to incorporate recommendations from the NTSB’s probe of the San Bruno, CA, explosion in its pipeline safety reauthorization legislation, including removing a provision in the current bill that would grandfather older pipelines from having to install certain safety devices.

A major interstate natural gas pipeline association is pressing Tea Party conservative Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to lift his procedural hold on pipeline safety re-authorization legislation so the bill can come to the Senate floor for a vote.