Lawmakers

Maryland lawmakers voted Thursday to approve a bill that enables utility companies to impose a surcharge on customers of up to $2/month to pay for repair and replacement of aging pipe and distribution lines.

Two top energy lawmakers in the Senate confirmed last week that the long-awaited second part of a Department of Energy (DOE) report on the economic impact of exporting domestically produced natural gas will likely be released before the end of the year, and that the results will be favorable to gas exports. Congress was called on to express its support for gas exports.

Natural gas figures prominently in Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s 19-page energy and environment message to Michiganders and their lawmakers, which was released last week. It includes many ideas for natural gas, oil, power generation and energy efficiency, but before much can happen, guidance from the federal government is needed, he said.

Two of the top women energy lawmakers in the Senate indicated Wednesday that the long-awaited second part of a Department of Energy report on the economic impact of exporting domestically produced natural gas will likely be released before the end of the year, and that the results will be favorable to industry. One called on Congress to express its support for gas exports.

Natural gas figures prominently in Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s 19-page energy and environment message to Michiganders and their lawmakers, which was released Wednesday. It includes many ideas for natural gas, oil, power generation and energy efficiency, but before much can happen, guidance from the federal government is needed, Snyder said.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael Krancer said late last month he is “not convinced” that wastewater injection wells are an issue in the state, and said he disagreed with a state legislator’s plan to enact a two-year moratorium.

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.

Royal Dutch Shell plc will decide within the next 18 to 24 months whether to build an ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, according to a company executive.

California lawmakers on Thursday rejected an industry-opposed bill (SB 1054) on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), but a second fracking measure (AB 591) is still alive.