Found

Injection wells in Ohio handled more wastewater from oil and gas drilling in 2012, especially from out-of-state sources in the Marcellus and Utica shales, but they are on pace to handle less of the material in 2013.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that found the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) did not act illegally in promulgating Dodd-Frank regulations. The Investment Company Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce brought the action against the CFTC, arguing that the adopted regulations applying to derivatives trading were unlawfully adopted and invalid. The district court “granted summary judgment in favor of the Commission. Because we agree with the district court that the Commission did not act unlawfully in promulgating the regulations, we affirm,” ruled the appeals court. Specifically, the two groups challenged a rule that would subject registered investment companies (RIC) engaged in derivatives trading to many of the Dodd-Frank requirements. Prior to 2003, RICs engaged in rare derivatives trading activities, but that has since changed, according to the CFTC. It is the agency’s latest legal victory with respect to its Dodd-Frank regulation of the $300 trillion.

A decision by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) that D&L Energy Inc. cannot keep its injection well permits and must properly dispose stored material has been upheld by the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said it found naturally occurring dissolved methane at several household wells used for drinking water in Sullivan County, PA, during pre-drill baseline testing at sites not near existing oil and gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said it found naturally occurring dissolved methane at several household wells used for drinking water in Sullivan County, PA, during pre-drill baseline testing at sites not near existing oil and gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

The Kentucky Oil and Gas Association’s (KOGA) first comprehensive research of the economic impact of the oil and gas industry found that the state had 14,632 producing natural gas wells in 2011 and produced more than 3 million bbl of oil in 2012, but the number of horizontal well permits issued has declined each year since 2009.

Casper, WY-based Moser Energy Systems, a privately held, 40-year-old family-run enterprise, has found a steadily growing market for its natural gas-fueled industrial-grade engines in the hottest of the shale plays: the Bakken in North Dakota and the Eagle Ford in Texas.

A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which found that FERC lacked jurisdiction in natural gas futures markets, was a disappointment, but Commissioner Tony Clark said Wednesday he hoped Congress could come up with a legislative fix to address cases involving “cross-market manipulation” of the physical and futures markets (see NGI, March 18).

A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which found the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission lacked jurisdiction in natural gas futures markets, was a disappointment, but FERC Commissioner Tony Clark said Wednesday he was hopeful Congress can come up with a legislative fix addressing jurisdiction in cases of “cross-market manipulation” (see Daily GPI, March 18).