Ooga

A bill qualifying natural gas as green energy and allowing state agencies to lease land to develop oil and gas has passed the Ohio legislature and was awaiting a signature from Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.  Under current Ohio law, state agencies are not automatically required to lease land for oil and gas exploration and production…

Ohio oil and natural gas operators produced 15 times more natural gas in 2018 than in 1990 while slashing carbon dioxide emissions by 37.3 million metric tons, according to the Ohio Oil and Gas Association’s (OOGA) first Community Impact and Sustainability Report  OOGA surveyed its member companies on environmental stewardship, community engagement and energy education…

The Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) has elected Matthew Hammond to serve as executive vice president. He would work as the organization’s public face to pursue its legislative agenda, advocacy efforts and lead day-to-day operations. Hammond formerly worked as a lobbyist at Vorys Advisors LLC, where he advised oil and gas industry clients, and as senior director of government affairs for Chesapeake Energy Corp. He replaces Shawn Bennett, who resigned last year to pursue other opportunities, according to a spokesman.

The Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) is urging U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) to support the repeal of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) rules governing flaring and venting of associated natural gas on public and tribal lands. OOGA said the rule would have a “disastrous impact” on local legacy producers that operate wells on or near public land in southeast Ohio. There are currently more than 2,000 wells in the state that could be targeted by the rule, which was approved during the Obama administration. Many of the wells are older and have low production, the trade group said. OOGA estimates that conventional producers could pay up to $50,000 per well to retrofit them with emissions control equipment as required. The final rule was to be implemented in stages, but the House voted for a resolution to repeal it in February. The Senate must take similar action and President Trump must approve it before the rule is repealed.