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A Pennsylvania lawmaker is taking aim at one of the most contentious issues in the Marcellus Shale: gas migration.

A Pennsylvania lawmaker is taking aim at one of the most contentious issues in the Marcellus Shale: gas migration.

Pennsylvania regulators say “improper” construction at Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. wells in northeastern Pennsylvania led to contamination at nearby private water wells.

Tulsa-based WPX Energy, which recently spun off from Williams as an independent exploration and production company, has elected its 10-member board of directors. William G. Lowrie, the former deputy CEO of a BP plc predecessor company, is to chair the company, which is focused on natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil reserves, particularly in the Piceance Basin, Bakken Shale and Marcellus Shale. The directors are WPX CEO Ralph A. Hill, Kimberly S. Bowers, John A. Carrig, William R. Granberry, Don J. Gunther, Robert K. Herdman, Henry E. Lentz, George A. Lorch and David F. Work. Lorch is to serve as chair of the board’s nominating and governance committee. Granberry was appointed to serve as chair of the compensation committee, while Herdman will chair the audit committee.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Mary Jo White recently said she would not seek reelection this year after 14 years in office. The Republican from Venango County in northwestern Pennsylvania has chaired the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for the past 12 years, placing her in the middle of the current debate over Marcellus Shale legislation. Under her watch, the committee crafted an impact fee on unconventional natural gas drilling (see Shale Daily, Jun 15, 2011) and increased coordination between gas drilling and coal mining (see Shale Daily, May 17, 2011). Before running for office, White served as a public defender in Venango and worked as the vice president of environmental and governmental affairs for Quaker State Corp.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed a bill recently giving state regulators authority over gathering lines. The law makes the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) the “state agent” of the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a designation shared by the regulatory body in every natural gas producing state except Alaska. With the authority the PUC can now inspect and investigate pipelines that are not public utilities. Because the law only allows the PUC to enforce federal regulations, it does not give the agency oversight over pipelines in sparsely populated corners of the state, known as “Class I” gathering lines. But the law does allow the PUC to hire at least 12 additional inspectors to ease the increased workload, with the positions paid for by a combination of federal funds and industry fees.

Former Petrohawk Energy Corp. CEO Floyd C. Wilson, who recently created Halcon Resources LLC, is working with a group of investors to buy Tulsa-based Ram Energy Resources Inc., a small-cap explorer that operates primarily in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Former Petrohawk Energy Corp. CEO Floyd C. Wilson, who recently created Halcon Resources LLC, is leading a charge to buy Tulsa-based Ram Energy Resources Inc., a small-cap explorer that operates primarily in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

A collection of energy players announced plans Wednesday to expand a major interstate pipeline to accommodate emerging shale gas supplies from Ohio.