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Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Chairman Barry Smitherman plans to run for Texas attorney general (AG) next year, but only if current AG and fellow conservative Greg Abbott does not seek re-election. An AG’s office headed by Smitherman would be pro-drilling and a staunch opponent of federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation.

Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will participate in an online forum this week to discuss potential Marcellus Shale gas drilling in the Loyalsock State Forest.

The Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA), which represents major natural gas producers and marketers, said Greg Vesey, president of Houston-based Chevron Natural Gas, was elected chairman of the association for a two-year term. Vesey is responsible for marketing natural gas to wholesale and large end-use customers throughout North America, as well as contributing to the growth of Chevron’s European gas business. NGSA’s other officers for the 2013-2014 period are Bill Green of Devon Energy, who has been elected vice chairman; and Frans Everts of Shell, who is serving as secretary/treasurer. R. Skip Horvath will continue as president and CEO of the NGSA.

Baker Hughes Inc. is reporting positive results from a program to convert a fleet of its North American hydraulic fracturing (fracking) units to bifuel pumps that use a mix of natural gas and diesel, the oilfield services operator said Monday.

DCP Midstream LLC is in the process of doubling its natural gas processing capacity in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin by the end of 2014 as drilling and completion technologies unlock more gas, the company said.

Natural gas is a long-term, sustainable solution for fueling commercial trucking fleets with or without federal incentives, Ryder Systems Inc. CEO Greg Swienton, said Thursday on the final day of the alternative clean transportation conference, otherwise known as the ACT Expo, in Long Beach, CA.

The impact of Marcellus Shale drilling on air quality is shaping up to be a major issue this year.

The impact of Marcellus Shale drilling on air quality is shaping up to be a major issue this year.

Michael Williams, who sits on the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), has asked Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott for a legal opinion on whether the RRC would have authority to halt drilling in the Barnett Shale.