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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.

A pro-energy advocacy group said it backs the decision by House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) to consider separately the natural resources/energy provisions and surface transportation component of the five-year, $260 billion American Energy and Infrastructure Act.

A Maryland panel is recommending that the state impose both a fee and a tax on shale gas development, as well as shift more costs to industry, but it did not propose specific details for any changes.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is scheduled to consider a set of new rules on the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) early next month, but the debate is already picking up steam regarding proposed exemptions for trade secret chemicals.

California regulators Thursday began to consider whether Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) violated state or federal rules regarding pipeline classification in the wake of the San Bruno transmission pipeline rupture and explosion last year. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) opened the case at its regular business meeting in San Francisco.

The natural gas industry will miss out on the prize of shale if it can’t convince the public that development is safe, a Chevron Corp. executive told a Pittsburgh audience Thursday.

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) said Friday the Oct. 21 meeting for commissioners to consider draft natural gas development regulations has been postponed by one month.

The desire to acquire shale acreage and midstream assets in the United States continues to be strong, with domestic natural gas and oil mergers and acquisitions (M&A) values reaching $39 billion in the second quarter, according to an analysis by PwC US.

Calling newly proposed air emission standards to be imposed on the oil and gas industry an “overreach,” industry groups on Friday continued to lobby the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rethink its plans. In fact, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) warned that the standards could stifle natural gas production, which could promote the use of other less-clean energy sources.