Disapproved

In a long-running battle with Texas regulators, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wednesday disapproved the flexible permit program that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had submitted for inclusion in its clean air implementation plan. It is not clear whether the move could affect the operations of gas producers in the state’s prolific Barnett Shale, which underlies Dallas/Fort Worth, or if the EPA decision is a harbinger of regulations that could affect producers.