Introduced

A Quebec government official said Wednesday that legislation will be introduced next week to formally enact a moratorium on shale gas development in the province, a ban that would be in effect until the results of a two-year study on potential impacts are fully vetted.

At a one-day meeting of California’s state legislature Monday a new bill was introduced calling for public disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in oil/natural gas drilling by the same state lawmaker who has unsuccessfully sponsored similar bills the past two years.

Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) has introduced a bill that would further delay action on the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed rule governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) activities on public and Indian lands until Interior Secretary Ken Salazar submits a report examining the effects of the rule.

In the latest of a rash of energy proposals coming from Republicans, Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California Thursday introduced legislation that calls for the Interior Department to add a lease sale off the coast of Virginia to its five-year plan, to step up permitting for energy development on federal lands, and give the go-ahead for the construction of the northern leg of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

A longtime foe of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the Pennsylvania General Assembly has introduced a bill that would require companies applying for permits to drill Marcellus Shale natural gas wells to conduct pre-drill water quality tests for nearby landowners that request it.

A legislator in the Pennsylvania General Assembly has introduced a bill designed to encourage the use of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and the construction of fueling stations to support them within the state that is home to the heart of the Marcellus Shale.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Jesse White, a Democrat from the southwestern corner of the state, has introduced House Resolution 593 asking drillers to commit to a set of “Marcellus Shale Principles,” that include hiring local workers, protecting the environment and acting transparently in dealings with stakeholders. “Drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale has created thousands of jobs, and has the potential to create thousands more at a critical time in our economy, and in areas that have historically suffered from high unemployment rates for many years…However, we can’t simply hand free reign over without any forethought to consequences and how our local communities could be affected for generations to come,” White said.

A pair of bills introduced Tuesday by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) would block the exportation of domestic natural gas, which Markey said would lead to higher prices in the United States.

Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp.’s fueling infrastructure manufacturer, IMW Industries, on Monday introduced a new self-contained, mobile compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station designed for small to mid-size vehicle fleets. The announcement from IMW’s Vancouver, BC, headquarters comes within days of a Canadian industry-government launch of a nationwide effort to boost the use of natural gas for transportation in Canada (see related story).