Impacts

Funding for a proposed study of the health impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is not included in a $132.5 billion state budget that the New York State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo agreed to on Tuesday.

Following through with market commitments to break through the Midcontinent crude bottleneck, Enbridge Inc. and Enterprise Products Partners LP said late Monday they will double the capacity of the Seaway Pipeline to 850,000 b/d by mid-2014 after lining up capacity commitments from shippers.

North America’s natural gas prices, now at their lowest level in 10 years, may not be helping explorers, but positive impacts are being felt across a variety of industries inside and outside the energy sector, according to an analysis by Moody’s Investors Service.

North America’s natural gas prices, now at their lowest level in 10 years, may not be helping explorers but positive impacts are being felt across a variety of industries inside and outside the energy sector, according to an analysis by Moody’s Investors Service.

Calpine Corp., which is one of the nation’s largest independent electricity generators, has experienced major impacts on its mostly natural gas-fired generation plant fleet from continuing low gas prices, according to senior executives who reported more red ink during a conference call with financial analysts Friday.

Lawmakers in North Carolina should consider several health and environmental measures as they weigh the legalization of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in their state, researchers at Duke University said in a new report.

Shareholder proposals requesting information on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) practices, which received an average 30.3% shareholder support in 2010, are becoming more popular, receiving an average 40.7% support this year, according to Institutional Shareholder Services. The corporate proxy firm has proposed a policy calling on shareholders to vote for proposals requesting greater disclosure of fracking operations, including measures companies have taken to mitigate potential community and environmental impacts. Current ISS policy does not specifically address fracking-related shareholder proposals.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is heeding the advice of his Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission (MSAC) by proposing an impact fee, enhanced safety provisions and incentives to increase natural gas consumption.

In response to technical advances that have expanded Ohio’s hydrocarbon resource potential, The Ohio State University (OSU) has created the Subsurface Energy Resource Center (SERC) with a goal to conduct and facilitate relevant shale research.