A bill to tighten California’s rules for natural gas storage wells (SB 380) was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown, enhancing oversight and testing imposed in the wake of the four-month leak at the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility.
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California Governor Signs Gas Storage Bill; Lawmakers Review Summer Power Risks
A bill to tighten California’s rules for natural gas storage wells (SB 380) was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown, enhancing oversight and testing imposed in the wake of the four-month leak at the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility.
Ohio Bill To Ease Oil/Gas Unitization Process Still Stuck in Committee
A bill passed unanimously by the Ohio House of Representatives early last year that would help oil and natural gas companies more easily form drilling units by allowing them to unitize state-owned land such as roads, universities and wildlife areas, remains stuck in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Briefs — West Virginia, Ohio
The West Virginia House of Delegates has officially abandoned legislation that would have significantly cut the state’s 5% oil, natural gas and coal severance tax rate. House leaders said that they would instead study the cuts over the next year. The West Virginia Senate passed SB 705 in early March. It would have lowered the severance tax rate to 4% by July 2017 and to 3% in July 2018. The state tax department estimated that the cuts would have cost the state up to $129 million in 2018. Sources had told NGI’s Shale Daily prior to the House’s announcement that the bill stood only a small chance of being passed (see Shale Daily,March 8). Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin also indicated that he would have vetoed the bill.
Oregon Lawmakers Approve Bill to Transition Out of Coal Use
The Oregon legislature on Wednesday passed and sent to the governor legislation eliminating essentially all use of coal-fired electricity by 2030 while expanding goals for renewable energy, efficiency and electric-based transportation in the state by 2040.
California Lawmakers Proposing Legislation to Prevent Future Gas Storage Leaks
In response to the natural gas storage well leak and resulting community unrest at the Aliso Canyon underground storage field, California lawmakers on Monday introduced three bills aimed at preventing a recurrence, stiffening state regulations and minimizing reliance on underground storage to the extent energy reliability concerns will permit.
West Virginia Lawmakers Again Likely to Consider Forced Pooling Legislation
A West Virginia lawmaker plans to again introduce a bill that would allow exploration and production companies drilling the Marcellus Shale and other shallower formations to pool landowners into units despite the failure of similar legislation in recent years.
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Resume Fight For More Leaseholder Protections
In their first meeting of Pennsylvania’s 2015-2016 legislative session, members of the state Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee voted unanimously to advance a pair of bills that would give landowners more transparency and protection when making inquiries about their lease agreements.
Pennsylvania Legislature Advances Separate Oil, Gas Regulations
The Pennsylvania House and Senate energy committees on Wednesday voted in favor of a series of bills that would require the state to adopt separate regulations for the conventional oil and gas industry, aimed at shielding it from the financial burdens of rules crafted primarily for unconventional producers developing the Marcellus Shale.
Massive Energy Reform Legislation Introduced in Mexico
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has submitted 700 pages of proposed legislation that would reform the nation’s energy policies. The proposal includes incentives for foreign investment in oil and gas exploration and production and breaking some of the monopolistic controls currently held by national oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex).