Recess

As the California legislature returned from its month-long recess Monday, the backers of a bill (AB 591) to mandate chemical disclosures on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluid held a press conference at the state Capitol in Sacramento, releasing the signatures of “roughly 50,000” voters supporting the measure.

As the summer recess approaches, Pennsylvania is flooded with proposals to tax the Marcellus Shale industry.

As the summer recess approaches, Pennsylvania is flooded with proposals to tax the Marcellus Shale industry.

The Senate Democrat leadership’s decision Tuesday to postpone action on the oil spill bill until after the August recess was a “good one,” said the head of the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), an opponent of drilling near the Florida coastline, said Friday he will not return to the Senate following the August recess. Martinez previously said he planned to leave the Senate at the end of 2010, but he moved up the date for personal reasons. Martinez often joined Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) in blocking measures that attempted to open the Florida offshore to oil and natural gas drilling. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who has his own eyes set on the U.S. Senate in 2010, will appoint a successor to serve out Martinez’s term.

Congress will cut short its recess to hold an emergency session to approve a $10 billion supplemental emergency spending measure for relief efforts and restoration of infrastructure in the three hurricane-stricken Gulf coastal states, including repairs for energy facilities damaged by the hurricane force winds and flood waters.

Speculation was growing Friday that the China Offshore Oil Co. (CNOOC) was only waiting for Congress to recess before either dropping its attempt to purchase Unocal Corp. or raise the stakes and announce a U.S. partner to take over its U.S. assets.

Speculation was growing Friday that China Offshore Oil Co. Ltd. (CNOOC) was only waiting for Congress to recess before boosting its bid for Unocal and announcing a U.S. partner to take over its U.S. assets.

With the House Agricultural Committee set to address reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) before the August recess, a group of industrial energy consumers has called on the panel to include in the process a proposal reinstating the strong market oversight authority that the CFTC had prior to the enactment of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 (CFMA).