Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu is stepping down, following several other key energy and environmental officials, including Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson. “I informed the president of my decision a few days after the election that [my wife] and I were eager to return to California. I would like to return to an academic life of teaching and research but will still work to advance the missions that we have been working on together for the last four years,” he said. Chu in a letter to his employees highlighted some of the progress made while serving in the administration, including forming a $45 million inter-agency effort last year by Interior, DOE and EPA o research hydraulic fracturing (fracking) during fiscal 2013. He also cited DOE’s role in capping BP plc’s blown Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Salazar, who oversaw a moratorium on offshore drilling after the BP oil spill and the restructuring of the agency, will step down in March (see NGI, Jan. 21). Jackson resigning following President Obama’s State of the Union speech on Feb. 12, bringing to an end a sometimes tumultuous four-year tenure (see NGI, Jan. 7).
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West Virginia DEP Misses Report Deadlines But Still Making Progress
Although the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has missed deadlines for two of the three studies it was required to perform under the state’s Marcellus Shale regulatory reform law, the agency is close to completing one of the studies and should present it to legislators soon.
Pennsylvania to Study Oil & Gas Industry Radiation Levels
Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will undertake a 12-14 month comprehensive study of naturally occurring levels of radioactivity in by-products of oil and natural gas development, the agency said Thursday.
Chesapeake Joins EPA in Fracking Study
Chesapeake Energy Corp. last week agreed to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct extensive tests at one of its drilling sites as part of the ongoing investigation into the safety of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Range Resources Corp. also may allow EPA to work at one of its drilling sites.
Chesapeake Participating in EPA Fracking Study
Chesapeake Energy Corp. has agreed to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct extensive tests at one of its drilling sites as part of the federal agency’s ongoing investigation into the safety of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Range Resources Corp. also may allow EPA to work at one of its drilling sites.
EPA OKs Diesel-to-NatGas Engine Technology
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Omnitek Engineering Corp.’s application for diesel-to-natural gas conversion technology for Navistar’s heavy-duty DT466E and DT530E engines.
Senators Bash EPA for Delaying Decision on Pavillion Report
In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Lisa Jackson Thursday, Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and David Vitter of Louisiana blasted the agency’s decision to again delay the public comment period on the controversial draft report examining groundwater contamination near Pavillion, WY.
Pennsylvania’s New Auditor General to Probe DEP Over Shale
Pennsylvania’s new auditor general, Eugene DePasquale, will conduct a performance audit of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) water testing and waste disposal programs to assess their effectiveness in regulating shale gas development.
EPA Delays Pavillion Report Again, Seeks More Public Comment
For the fourth time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the public comment period for its investigation into groundwater contamination near Pavillion, WY, this time until Sept. 30.
Pennsylvania DEP Paves Way for Use of Acid Mine Water in Fracking
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has finalized the process it will use for encouraging and reviewing proposals to use mine-influenced water, such as acid mine drainage, in oil and gas extraction operations from shale formations.
