New York

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included legislation in his budget proposal to permanently ban “high-volume” hydraulic fracturing in New York, five years after state regulators took action to stop unconventional natural gas development.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included legislation in his budget proposal to permanently ban “high-volume” hydraulic fracturing in New York, five years after state regulators took action to stop unconventional natural gas development.

Skirmishes over natural gas shortages in New York City are intensifying as the winter heating season nears, with one distributor insisting that it can’t serve thousands of new customers without more infrastructure and policymakers pushing for answers.

Consolidated Edison Co. (Con Ed) on Thursday said it had inked another deal with Iroquois Gas Transmission System LP to get more natural gas into its New York service territory.

New York regulators warned FERC this week that if it waives the state’s water quality certification (WQC) review for the Constitution Pipeline project it should expect a swift appeal to the courts, where the state argues a waiver would stand little chance of holding up.

Opponents are once again lining up to challenge long-pending natural gas pipelines in New York after the projects scored recent victories at both FERC and in the courts, signaling that an uphill battle is still ahead to get the infrastructure in service after years of delays.

The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) said this week it plans to analyze and report on the changing market conditions that prompted Consolidated Edison Co. (Con Ed) to impose a moratorium on new natural gas customers in Westchester County.

New York regulators are seeking input on an early draft of rules to further curb volatile organic compounds (VOC) and methane emissions, a proposal that one state oil and natural gas industry group has warned could be “devastating” for producers if it’s finalized.

While very little changed politically across the Appalachian Basin’s key oil and natural gas producing states, the industry sees both opportunities and challenges after the midterm elections as Democrats and Republicans step into new roles throughout the region.