Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and federal Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey will help Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead co-chair a sage grouse task force, Mead announced Friday. The task force will review ways states can provide sage grouse management tools and habitat protections. As means of potentially avoiding the need to list sage grouse under the federal Endangered Species Act, the task force was created in December following a meeting in Wyoming among U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and officials from 10 states that have habitat for the greater sage grouse, a large, ground-dwelling bird that lives at elevations of 4,000 to 9,000 feet (see Daily GPI, Jan. 11). In 2009 Wyoming instituted a “Sage-Ground Core Area Protection” program. Mead has continued the push for state-led actions.
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Ohio Governor Urges Care in Shale Development
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said the state should be prudent in developing the Marcellus and Utica shales, maintaining tough environmental regulations while looking to attract jobs and investment.
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President Obama plans to renominate John Norris as a Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to serve a full five-year term to mid-2017. In January 2010 Norris, a former Iowa regulator, joined the Commission to complete the term of former Chairman Joseph Kelliher (see NGI, Jan. 11, 2010). Norris previously was a board member and chair of the Iowa Utilities Board. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee plans to hold a combined confirmation hearing for Norris and North Dakota regulator Tony Clark, who recently was nominated to succeed former Commissioner Marc Spitzer (see NGI, Jan. 30). Spitzer, a Republican, stepped down in December after completing a five-year term at FERC. “It would make sense to do the two FERC nominations together” in one confirmation hearing, said Bill Wicker, a spokesman for Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). “It would be like one-stop shopping.” He further noted that there was no rush for the Senate energy panel to vote out the nominations. “The Commission has got a good working quorum…We’re not foot-dragging, but we’re not in a rush either.”
Ohio Governor Calls for Prudent Shale Development
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said the state would be prudent in developing the Marcellus and Utica shales, maintaining tough environmental regulations while looking to attract jobs and investment.
Obama Taps Norris for a Second Term at FERC
President Obama on Friday announced his intent to renominate John Norris to remain as a commissioner at FERC and serve a full five-year term to mid-2017.
Impact Fee, Severance Tax Hike on Ohio Governor’s Mind?
Ohio Gov. John Kasich reportedly is considering higher severance taxes and an impact fee on oil and natural gas operators, as well as imposing new taxes on natural gas liquids (NGL) extraction.
Ohio Governor Said Considering Severance Tax Hike, Impact Fee
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is reportedly considering raising severance taxes on oil and natural gas, new taxes for the extraction of natural gas liquids (NGL) and a new impact fee on oil and gas operations.
Colorado Fracking Rules Fair, Says Governor
Noting that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has revolutionized U.S. energy production, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Thursday boasted that his state’s rules for regulating the use of fracking are the “strongest and fairest” in the nation. Hickenlooper made the remarks as part of his state of the state address in Denver.
House to Take Up Bill Expanding Energy to Fund Infrastructure Projects
House Speaker John Boehner Monday signaled that the House will take up legislation that will seek to clear the deck for expanded oil and natural gas production, with revenues going towards infrastructure upgrades.
Centaurus Hedge Fund Fined $75,000 for Nymex Violations
Centaurus Energy Master Fund LP, a Houston-based energy hedge fund that was founded by John D. Arnold after the collapse of Enron Corp., was fined $75,000 by the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) for violating position limits in natural gas trading.
