Permitted

Regulators with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) passed a milestone in the Utica Shale last week, after having cumulatively issued more than 600 permits for horizontal wells targeting oil and natural gas.

The Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) reported at its annual winter meeting that in 2012 more wells were permitted and completed, and the state saw a substantial increase in the amount of footage drilled.

The Domestic Energy Jobs Act (SB 76) was passed by the North Carolina Senate Wednesday, setting the stage for horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of oil and natural gas wells to begin in the state two years from now. It also encourages the governor to coordinate with South Carolina and Virginia for offshore drilling.

Thanks to Pennsylvania air quality regulations and the “increased use of natural gas in the power generation sector,” Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Mike Krancer said air pollution has “gone down considerably” within the state since 2008, even as the unconventional production of shale oil and gas ramped up.

A West Virginia city in the Marcellus Shale has enacted a 6% business and occupation (B&O) tax on natural gas companies operating within the city limits, reportedly to raise revenue to fix roads and bridges that could be damaged by drilling there.

In a state where water historically has dominated the energy discussion, there is more talk of oil and natural gas development, following the state’s adoption of new rules and regulations governing the expected increase in exploration and production (E&P) activity.

Legislators and regulators in New York are hinting that should high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) be permitted in the Empire State, localities that are the most receptive to the practice may be the first — and, possibly, the only — areas to allow it.

Legislators and regulators in New York are hinting that should high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) be permitted in the Empire State, localities that are the most receptive to the practice may be the first — and, possibly, the only — areas to allow it.

Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar reiterated Tuesday that the Obama administration is continuing to develop draft rules for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in drilling operations, which he said would not slow the natural gas and oil boom.