Greater

Rising prices for basic commodities — including both agricultural and energy markets — underscore the need for greater oversight of the $600 trillion derivatives market, said the head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Rising prices for basic commodities — including both agricultural and energy markets — underscore the need for greater oversight of the $600 trillion derivatives market, said the head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is giving the public another month to comment on proposed regulations for natural gas development in the four-state watershed. The federal/interstate agency will now take comments through April 15.

March natural gas futures managed a modest gain Wednesday as other markets soared or sank in response to turbulence in oil-rich Libya and the greater Middle East. Analysts noted that the situation is far different than the recent upheaval in Egypt as Libya is a major exporter of crude oil and by most accounts the petroleum markets are going to have to factor in the loss of about 1.5 million b/d, as companies evacuate personnel from the country.

In Arkansas, home to the Fayetteville Shale, state Rep. Kathy Webb (D-Little Rock) has introduced a quintet of bills targeting the natural gas industry for greater scrutiny of drilling operations. The content of the proposed legislation shows that the lawmaker has hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on her mind.

In Arkansas, home to the Fayetteville Shale, state Rep. Kathy Webb (D-Little Rock) has introduced a quintet of bills targeting the natural gas industry for greater scrutiny of drilling operations. The content of the proposed legislation shows that the lawmaker has hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on her mind.

While stakeholders were battling staff cuts in the New York state agency charged with permitting and oversight of oil and gas drilling, greater potential obstacles to development of the state’s Marcellus Shale fairway loomed with the installation Jan. 1 of the new Democratic state administration.

Limited curtailments this winter, up to 300 new shutoff valves, and new leaks identified and repaired on parts of the major natural gas transmission pipeline system in the greater San Francisco Bay Area were documented in reports released late Monday by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Canada nor its provinces have adequate regulations in place to address the scale or cumulative impact of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) on water resources, according to a report issued on Thursday by the water program at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.