Republican

Tony Clark, former chairman of the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC), has been sworn in to fill a Republican seat at FERC.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Camille “Bud” George plans to retire at the end of the year. First elected in 1974, the Democrat from shale-rich Clearfield County, in the central part of the state, has been the top ranking Democrat on environmental issues since 1983. As Democratic Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee (previously known as the House Conservation Committee) George recently became a critic of shale development. He proposed a 30 cent/Mcf severance tax on high-volume shale wells (among the highest rate offered by any lawmaker during the debates) and suggested that lawmakers shouldn’t be afraid to continue delaying passage of the bill if it did not contain “the protections that you and I want not only for ourselves, but for those that we represent.” George also claimed that the recommendations of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission didn’t go far enough to protect environmental resources in the state. His announcement follows news that Sen. Mary Jo White, the Republican chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, will also retire this year.

The long and winding road to passing a drilling impact fee in Pennsylvania hit another pothole Wednesday when nine Republican state senators whose districts are outside the Marcellus shale signed a letter opposing restrictions on local zoning contained in the bill.

The long and winding road to passing a drilling impact fee in Pennsylvania hit another pothole Wednesday when nine Republican state senators whose districts are outside the Marcellus shale signed a letter opposing restrictions on local zoning contained in the bill.

Alaska Republican House Speaker Rep. Mike Chenault of Nikiski on Tuesday introduced legislation aimed at consolidating and advancing efforts to develop an in-state gas pipeline to commercialize North Slope reserves and get much-needed gas to the state’s residents. The project also would support exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG).

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 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.

While state Senators in Pennsylvania continue to wrangle over a drilling impact fee, a state House committee passed a competing bill along party lines Wednesday.