In a session marked by few energy bills making it through, the Colorado legislature called it a session earlier in May with the most significant oil/gas industry item passed being a technical bill for implementing the state plan for lessening haze (HB 1291).
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Action is pending following hearing of the Washington state legislature’s House Environment Committee, which is considering a Senate-passed measure (SB 5769) calling for the phased closure of the state’s only coal-fired electric generation plant and the construction of a natural gas-fired plant on adjacent property at the Centralia coal facility (see Daily GPI, March 9). A committee staff member told NGI Friday that there is no established date for when the committee will vote on the measure, which is the outgrowth of an agreement earlier this year among Centralia plant operator/owner TransAlta, environmental groups and the state. The legislation is conditioned upon certain state and federal regulatory actions, including getting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to exempt the coal-fired plant from looming greenhouse gas emissions restrictions, that would save TransAlta some $600 million on emission-control equipment while it still sold power to utilities in the region.
Industry Briefs
The New Mexico legislature has passed a bill calling for an investigation of natural gas outages that hit parts of the state in February. Gov. Susana Martinez last Wednesday signed the measure (HB 452), which was unanimously approved by the state Senate March 12. Labeled an emergency investigation under the New Mexico legislative process, the measure creates the Gas Emergency Investigation Task Force composed of designated representatives from state government. The measure spells out the task force parameters and actions, and calls for a report and recommendations to be compiled by Aug. 1. Following energy disruptions caused by a severe freeze in the Southwest which left 28,000 New Mexico Gas Co. customers without service, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee launched investigations and held hearings (see NGI, Feb 28). The task force is to investigate “how and why” many of the state’s rural natural gas consumers were shutoff, the economic and social impacts from that, and determine recommendations for both state and federal regulators on how to avoid a similar occurrence in the future.
New Mexico Lawmakers Set Probe of February Gas Outages
The New Mexico legislature has passed a bill calling for an investigation of the natural gas outages that hit parts of the state in February. It was unclear whether Gov. Susana Martinez plans to sign the measure (HB 452), which was unanimously approved by the state Senate Saturday.
Texas Lawmaker, Others: Move Gas Patch Farther From Schoolhouse
Natural gas wells in Texas would have to be at least 1,200 feet from public schools if a bill filed Monday in the state legislature becomes law, but a group advocating the interests of Fort Worth neighborhoods says it wants wells to be one mile or more from the schoolhouse.
West Virginia Prepares Bills to Revamp Drilling Rules
Two bills aimed at revamping West Virginia’s quarter-century-old drilling regulations are slated for introduction in the state legislature this week. The measures, variously directed at water management and horizontal drilling, would also increase horizontal well permit fees from $400 to $10,000.
California Weighs Energy Tax for Education
Facing multi-billion-dollar budget shortfalls, the California legislature has warmed up an old proposal to levy a severance tax on oil and gas production to fund the state’s struggling higher education system. The measure, Assembly Bill 656 (AB 656), was voted out of the lower house Revenue and Taxation Committee last week with a “pass as amended” recommendation, sending the proposal to the Appropriations Committee.
Oregon Bill Targets LNG Developers
In a reprise of legislation that died in committee last year, a proposal surfaced at the opening of the Oregon Legislature’s new session that would require a needs assessment for any liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal or connecting pipeline tied to imports of new natural gas supplies into the state.
California Lawmakers Consider Oil/Gas Tax for Education
Facing multi-billion-dollar budget shortfalls, the California legislature has warmed up an old proposal to levy a severance tax on oil and gas production to fund the state’s struggling higher education system. The measure, Assembly Bill 656 (AB 656), was voted out of the lower house Revenue and Taxation Committee Monday with a “pass as amended” recommendation, sending the proposal to the Appropriations Committee.
Oregon Legislative Proposal Targets LNG Developers
In a reprise of legislation that died in committee last year, a proposal has surfaced at the opening of the new session for the Oregon Legislature requiring a needs assessment for any liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal or connecting pipeline tied to imports of new natural gas supplies into the state. The action is supposedly in response to the state’s three pending LNG terminal projects now in various stages of permitting (see Daily GPI, Jan. 4).