Following threats earlier in the year from Gov. John Hickenlooper, Colorado’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (OGCC) has joined a lawsuit by the Colorado Oil & Gas Association (COGA) against the city of Longmont’s ban last year on hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
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PA DEP Chief Krancer Quits; Interim Replacement Criticized
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced Friday that Michael Krancer, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will step down on April 15 and return to practice law in Philadelphia. But the decision to replace him on an interim basis with the governor’s deputy chief of staff is being derided by Krancer’s predecessor, John Hanger.
ALJ Rejects Appeals of Permits for Tennessee’s Northeast Upgrade
An administrative law judge (ALJ) has turned down a request from two environmental groups to block Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co’s plans for an expansion of a natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania, saying the groups “failed to show that they were likely to succeed on the merits or that they would suffer irreparable harm.”
Upstate New York Officials Ask to Weigh in on Drilling Ban Challenges
More than 50 municipalities across upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region that touch the Marcellus Shale are asking a state appeals court for permission to weigh in on whether they may ban oil and natural gas drilling within their jurisdictions.
Industry Briefs
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has issued for public comment a proposed decision by an administrative law judge (ALJ) and an alternate proposed decision by Commissioner Timothy Alan Simon regarding requests by San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Gas Co. to recover from ratepayers costs related to wildfires that affect their operations. The ALJ’s proposal rejects the utilities’ requests, finding that the companies haven’t proven that the proposed rates would be just and reasonable. Simon’s alternate proposal partially approves the utilities’ requests by limiting the wildfire costs to 90% of uninsured payments that are more than $10 million per wildfire and imposing restrictions on the recoveries. “As assigned commissioner to this state’s fire safety proceedings, I harbor grave concerns regarding the liability risk surrounding critical energy system infrastructure in this fire-prone region of our great state,” said Simon. Comments on the proceeding, No. A.09-08-020, are due by Nov. 5; reply comments are due by Nov. 13. CPUC could vote on the proposals as soon as Nov. 29. For information contact the CPUC Public Advisor’s Office at (415) 703-2074, (866) 849-8390 or e-mail public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov.
Pennsylvania AG Seeks Dismissal of Marcellus ‘Gag Rule’ Lawsuit
Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly on Tuesday filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Act 13, the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law, has a medical “gag rule” that violates a doctor’s constitutional rights to communicate with his patients.
Court Dismisses Objections to EPA Timing, Tailoring Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) interpretation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) in a series of greenhouse gas (GHG)-related rules was “unambiguously correct,” according to a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which last week denied petitions against the EPA’s timing and tailoring rules.
Court Dismisses Objections to EPA’s Timing and Tailoring Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) interpretation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) in a series of greenhouse gas (GHG)-related rules was “unambiguously correct,” according to a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which on Tuesday denied petitions against the EPA’s timing and tailoring rules.
EPA Says 20 More Water Wells in Dimock Tested Safe
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Friday that 20 water wells in Dimock Township, PA — collectively its second round of water quality testing — did not reveal any signs of contamination from natural gas drilling.
‘Epa-Dimock’ Over? Testing Finds No Contamination from Drilling
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Thursday initial test results of water samples taken from 11 households in the Carter Road/Meshoppen Creek Road area of Dimock Township, PA, do not indicate any levels of contamination from natural gas drilling.