Prohibiting

While the most vocal opposition to Laser Northeast Gathering Co. LLC’s bid to gain public utility status for a proposed gathering system in northeast Pennsylvania is coming from members of the public, there is opposition from within the industry as well.

The legislature of Tompkins County — which is in west-central New York in the midst of the state’s Marcellus Shale area — has approved a resolution prohibiting the leasing of county-owned land for natural gas drilling that involves hydraulic fracturing (fracking) well stimulation.

The Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance prohibiting natural gas drilling in the city, despite questions about the ordinance’s legality.

A federal judge has revised a decision prohibiting producers from conducting seismic studies offshore Alaska in the Chukchi Sea, clearing the way for U.S. affiliates of Royal Dutch Shell and Statoil ASA to move forward on long-planned tests.

By a 3-2 vote, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has adopted a “code of conduct” for natural gas utilities, prohibiting them from giving marketing affiliates preference over non-affiliated marketers in issues concerning transportation or curtailment authority. Among other things, the code does not allow the utilities to release confidential customer information without prior authorization.