Imposed

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received more than 4,100 comments on its proposed standards to reduce air pollution from oil and natural gas drilling operations, especially operations employing hydraulic fracturing (fracking), by the time the public comment period closed Wednesday.

Without consulting state regulatory officials, a county in Colorado recently imposed a four-month moratorium on oil and gas drilling permits to allow time to establish local land-use and other regulations. The move prompted criticism from the director at the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (OGCC).

Without consulting state regulatory officials, a county in Colorado last Thursday imposed a four-month moratorium on oil and gas drilling permits to allow time to establish local land-use and other regulations. The move prompted criticism from the director at the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (OGCC).

Calling newly proposed air emission standards to be imposed on the oil and gas industry an “overreach,” industry groups on Friday continued to lobby the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rethink its plans. In fact, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) warned that the standards could stifle natural gas production, which could promote the use of other less-clean energy sources.

Calling newly proposed air emission standards to be imposed on the oil and gas industry an “overreach,” industry groups on Friday continued to lobby the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rethink its plans. In fact, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) warned that the standards could stifle natural gas production, which could promote the use of other less-clean energy sources.

BP plc on Friday promised to operate under more stringent self-imposed standards in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) deepwater to demonstrate its commitment to U.S. officials that it could operate safely in the aftermath of the Macondo well blowout last year.

BP plc on Friday promised to operate under more stringent self-imposed standards in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) deepwater to demonstrate its commitment to U.S. officials that it could operate safely in the aftermath of the Macondo well blowout last year.

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

On the eve of the first meeting of his recently formed Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett remains firmly opposed to a state-imposed severance tax on the natural gas industry, but is open to the idea of local impact fees. And those fees can’t be considered until the local impact of drilling is quantified, a Corbett spokesman told NGI Thursday.