Reasonable

Shale gas plays and significant technological advances that allow their development helped drive the latest assessment of U.S. natural gas reserves by the Potential Gas Committee (PGC) to a new high.

The debate over hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is sparking concerns about drinking water safety in the Marcellus Shale area and nationwide, according to the results of a trio of surveys released by the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI).

The Pennsylvania House on Tuesday and the Senate on Wednesday separately voted in lame duck sessions to override Gov. Ed Rendell’s veto of an education bill. However, the severance tax on gas drillers that Rendell and some lawmakers had sought for more than two years was never considered.

Natural gas prices should rebound to “reasonable” levels of $6-7/MMBtu long term, which makes the abundant fossil fuel more attractive to develop than renewable resources, ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva said last week.

Natural gas prices should rebound to “reasonable” levels of $6-7/MMBtu long term, which makes the abundant fossil fuel more attractive to develop than renewable resources, ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva said Monday.

Seventy to 80 percent of Pennsylvanians support a reasonable severance tax and that tax is necessary to ensure that all the state’s citizens benefit from the economic boost generated by production of Marcellus shale gas, John Hanger, secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), told a gathering of about 350 producers Tuesday.

Seventy to 80 percent of Pennsylvanians support a reasonable severance tax and that tax is necessary to ensure that all the state’s citizens benefit from the economic boost generated by production of Marcellus shale gas, John Hanger, secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), told a gathering of about 350 producers Tuesday.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has no “reasonable assurance” that it receives its share of natural gas royalty-in-kind (RIK) payments, and it risks losing millions in revenue because of a lack of tools and staff, according to an audit by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

President Bush handed the incoming Obama administration a political conundrum Friday as the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) issued a draft five-year plan to allow oil and natural gas leasing in long-banned areas offshore. Obama, who previously voiced support for “responsible drilling” now has to decide whether to allow the draft plan to move forward, or explain how reinstating a decades-old moratorium would help the United States gain its independence from foreign energy supplies.