Enacting

Lenape Resources Inc., an oil and natural gas producer based in New York, has filed a lawsuit against a town in Livingston County for enacting a local drilling ban, and against the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for failing to rein in the town over the ban.

Nova Scotia said it will extend its review of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) until mid-2014, enacting a moratorium on the practice for at least another two years.

The City Council of Binghamton, NY, voted 6-1 Wednesday night in favor of enacting a two-year ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) within the city limits.

A dairy company with an oil and gas lease has filed a lawsuit against the Town of Middlefield, NY, accusing the municipality of overstepping its authority by enacting a ban on oil and gas operations.

New Brunswick officials said Thursday that while the province was enacting tougher natural gas regulations in the emerging Frederick Brook Shale, it would not implement a ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Pennsylvania could collect revenue from the natural gas industry by enacting a severance tax or by leasing more state forest land to drillers, but Gov. Tom Corbett’s first budget chose neither option.

The debate over hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is sparking concerns about drinking water safety in the Marcellus Shale area and nationwide, according to the results of a trio of surveys released by the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI).

The Pennsylvania House on Tuesday and the Senate on Wednesday separately voted in lame duck sessions to override Gov. Ed Rendell’s veto of an education bill. However, the severance tax on gas drillers that Rendell and some lawmakers had sought for more than two years was never considered.

The Senate Energy and Commerce Committee debated yesterdaywhether to get themselves off the hook for this summer by enactingstopgap electric reliability legislation or go for the gold of acomprehensive electric restructuring bill.