Democrat

House Republicans and state regulators sparred with Democrats and the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at a hearing Wednesday to discuss proposed rules governing flaring and venting of associated natural gas on public and tribal lands, with both sides in open disagreement over whether the BLM has the authority to enact such rules.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will face a $60 million cut in its funding and will have to cut staff to the lowest level since 1989 if President Obama signs the $1.01 trillion spending bill that passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support.

Amid controversy over his pro-renewable energy and anti-fossil fuel sentiments, former Colorado regulator Ron Binz has asked President Obama to withdraw his name from further consideration as a nominee for FERC chairman.

President Obama has tapped former Colorado regulator Ron Binz to sit on the five-member FERC, succeeding Jon Wellinghoff.

Senate chairman of Committee of Energy and Natural Resources, Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, last week rejected the findings of a study published last year for the Department of Energy (DOE) that favors liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and called for a do-over.

Veteran broadcast journalist and anchor Ted Koppel threw the burning brand into an otherwise predictable ‘he-said (Republican) — she-said (Democrat)’ political debate at the Marcellus Shale Gas Insight conference Thursday, questioning the public benefit of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Veteran broadcast journalist and anchor Ted Koppel threw the burning brand into an otherwise predictable ‘he-said (Republican) — she-said (Democrat)’ political debate at the Marcellus Shale Gas Insight conference Thursday, questioning the public benefit of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Pennsylvania state Rep. Jesse White, a Democrat from the southwestern corner of the state, has introduced House Resolution 593 asking drillers to commit to a set of “Marcellus Shale Principles,” that include hiring local workers, protecting the environment and acting transparently in dealings with stakeholders. “Drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale has created thousands of jobs, and has the potential to create thousands more at a critical time in our economy, and in areas that have historically suffered from high unemployment rates for many years…However, we can’t simply hand free reign over without any forethought to consequences and how our local communities could be affected for generations to come,” White said.

The impact of Marcellus Shale drilling on air quality is shaping up to be a major issue this year.