Quality

The Maryland Senate ended its 2011 legislative session without voting on a bill that would have frozen the permitting of Marcellus Shale drilling until 2013 while state agencies reviewed the results of various studies into Marcellus development and hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking).

The Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, which was formed earlier this month by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett and tasked with reporting back to the governor by July, held its first meeting in Harrisburg Friday.

California air quality regulators told a Congressional committee Wednesday that the state’s implementation of a 2006 climate change law (AB 32) could be jeopardized by legislative proposals to rollback plans to expand federal Clean Air Act restrictions to include greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from motor vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expects to release in a month or two the details of how it will carry out its study of the risks of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) to water quality and public heath, said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. She signaled that federal regulation of the well stimulation technique may not be needed.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expects to release in a month or two the details of how it will carry out its study of the risks of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) to water quality and public heath, said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. She signaled that federal regulation of the well stimulation technique may not be needed.

With the booming U.S. industry players keeping a close eye out for the opening of global markets, India reported completing its first shale gas well Tuesday as some observers of the Indian energy space speculate that the nation may have its largest natural gas deposits locked in shale. U.S. oilfield services provider Schlumberger drilled India’s first well.

Newfield Exploration Co. said Monday its hunch that the Maverick Basin in the Eagle Ford Shale “would hold thick, high-quality” pay has turned out to be true as it released initial results from its Eagle Ford assessment program.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has received a long-awaited air quality permit from Pennsylvania regulators to build three natural gas compressors in Susquehanna County, PA, in the heart of its Marcellus Shale operations.

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has released findings from its separate audits of the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). While each agency was recommended for another 12-year lease on life, changes are in order, the reviews found.