Lawmakers

Pennsylvania lawmakers approached Halloween hoping to bring drilling impact fee legislation to the Senate floor before the end of October, but after failing to resolve major issues over the weekend they now hope to pass a bill before Thanksgiving.

A committee of West Virginia lawmakers made little progress this week toward settling the remaining obstacles to a Marcellus Shale regulatory reform bill, instead using their time to debate — but ultimately leave unchanged — a steep increase in permitting fees.

A bipartisan panel of West Virginia lawmakers seeking a consensus on possible Marcellus Shale regulatory reform are scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning in Charleston.

A committee of West Virginia lawmakers has recommended steep increases to permit fees and bonding requirements for Marcellus Shale drilling, expanding the public notice and comment period over drilling activities and changing the way it hires natural gas well inspectors.

A committee of West Virginia lawmakers voted Wednesday to recommend steep increases in permit fees and bonding requirements for Marcellus Shale drilling, resolving two key areas of disagreement as they work to cobble together a draft regulatory reform bill.

A panel of West Virginia lawmakers approved three amendments to a draft Marcellus Shale regulatory reform bill on Monday, recommending that the state expand the public notice and comment period over drilling activities and change the way it hires natural gas well inspectors.

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which had been scheduled on Wednesday to release the final draft of a report on the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), said the report has been delayed because the department is too busy assisting with cleanup related to Hurricane Irene.

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

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