Recommend

The extent of the risks associated with development of shale oil and natural gas is “unknown” because existing studies have not taken into account the potential long-term, cumulative effects of the activity, according to a new report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Tuesday. The agency in a companion report did not make any recommendations to change environmental and public health requirements in light of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Maryland’s portion of the Marcellus Shale may be limited to only the two westernmost counties, but its development would benefit the entire state, Drew Cobbs, executive director of the Maryland Petroleum Council, told an audience in Hagerstown, MD, on Wednesday.

Calgary’s Pembina Pipeline Corp. and Provident Energy Ltd. agreed Monday to merge in a C$3.2 billion ($3.1 billion) transaction that would create a Canadian giant with oil and natural gas pipelines to transport crude and natural gas liquids (NGL), midstream gas processing and an energy marketing arm.

An advisory panel formed by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will recommend that the state’s General Assembly impose a severance tax on natural gas production and a fee on gas leases, with the resulting revenue to be dedicated “to address impacts of gas exploration and production on the environment and natural resources” and to fund studies of issues related to the Marcellus Shale, according to a draft report by the state’s Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Commission.

An advisory panel formed by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will recommend that the state’s General Assembly impose a severance tax on natural gas production and a fee on gas leases, with the resulting revenue to be dedicated “to address impacts of gas exploration and production on the environment and natural resources” and to fund studies of issues related to the Marcellus Shale, according to a draft report by the state’s Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Commission.

Washington state regulatory staff said it plans to recommend deep cuts in Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE) proposed $182 million natural gas and electric general rate increase request. The staff is recommending a total increase of a little more than $40 million annually to the three-member Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). Bellevue, WA-based PSE proposed increasing retail gas utility rates by $30 million annually and electric rates by $152 million. Public comments are still being taken by the UTC, which will hold hearings on the rate case Feb. 1 and 15. The proposed rate changes are slated to take effect May 1.

A committee of West Virginia lawmakers voted Wednesday to recommend steep increases in permit fees and bonding requirements for Marcellus Shale drilling, resolving two key areas of disagreement as they work to cobble together a draft regulatory reform bill.

A new proposal in Pennsylvania aims to protect natural gas gathering lines in the quick growing Marcellus Shale region from accidentally getting damaged during excavation.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and producers met with Obama administration officials last week to recommend that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) consider relaxing some of the requirements in its final rule for reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, at least during the first year of the rule’s implementation.