Push

A big push begun six to eight years ago among public-sector utilities in California to hedge their bets on natural gas to address growing concerns about wholesale price volatility has come under fire as some municipalities struggle with a recessionary economy and continuing low gas prices.

Having stonewalled shale gas drilling for three years, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released its recommendations on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) late Thursday. The list includes requiring full disclosure of fracking chemicals and a ban in all primary aquifers, the watersheds of New York City and Syracuse, and all state-owned land, including state parks.

Officials with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said they plan to make an announcement Friday on the status of the state’s long-awaited environmental impact study on horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the Marcellus Shale.

Serious Canadian energy investment and equally focused environmental interests are warily eyeing each other in and around the Uinta Basin in southeastern Utah, where energy developers see an extension of their oil sands plays in Western Canada, and a group called Living Rivers warns of a potential environmental and public health disaster.

Looking for ways to keep demand on pace with production, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) is proposing a $200 million program to expand natural gas vehicle (NGV) infrastructure across Pennsylvania.

A congressional push to increase regulations on hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) would have little impact on Pennsylvania, according to a regional director of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The clean energy push and general “green economy” are creating jobs, but California should modify its related education and training efforts to maximize these benefits, according to a report released Thursday by University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) researchers.

“Very weak gas prices” are in the offing as drilling to hold leases, cost-carry joint ventures and the disparity between oil and gas prices “are expected to push gas production so high that it causes some regional storage and pipeline constraints…” Bentek Energy LLC said in its latest Market Alert.

“Very weak gas prices” are in the offing as drilling to hold leases, cost-carry joint ventures and the disparity between oil and gas prices “are expected to push gas production so high that it causes some regional storage and pipeline constraints…” Bentek Energy LLC said in its latest Market Alert.