Enacts

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) used an energy conference as an opportunity to urge state legislators and regulators to come to an agreement on Marcellus Shale regulatory reform, but also took a swipe at federal officials and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A committee of West Virginia lawmakers made little progress this week toward settling the remaining obstacles to a Marcellus Shale regulatory reform bill, instead using their time to debate — but ultimately leave unchanged — a steep increase in permitting fees.

A bipartisan panel of West Virginia lawmakers seeking a consensus on possible Marcellus Shale regulatory reform are scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning in Charleston.

A committee of West Virginia lawmakers voted Wednesday to recommend steep increases in permit fees and bonding requirements for Marcellus Shale drilling, resolving two key areas of disagreement as they work to cobble together a draft regulatory reform bill.

New Jersey isn’t even a player in the shale game, but lawmakers there have decided to leave the stadium altogether.

President Bush signed into law last Tuesday a long-awaited bill that enacts tougher inspection and other safety standards for interstate natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines.

President Bush signed into law Tuesday a long-awaited bill that enacts tougher inspection and other safety standards for interstate natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines.

As the moratorium on electric and natural gas heatingdisconnections in Ohio came to an end on Monday, the PublicUtilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) enacted a last minute orderstating that regulated utility companies need to follow specificsteps before disconnecting consumers for non-payment of a winterheating bill.

Dismissing the criticisms of a few of the expected competitorsin Texas’ coming deregulated electricity market, the Public UtilityCommission has adopted rules that require affiliate powergeneration companies unbundled from current integrated utilities tosell entitlements to their power generation. PUC said the ruleswould benefit electric customers by proving a more competitivewholesale market when it begins Jan. 1, 2002.