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The U.S. Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) unveiled its long-awaited rules governing flaring and venting of associated natural gas on public and tribal lands on Friday.

More than a dozen bills related to natural gas and drilling practices were introduced in the first hours of the West Virginia Legislature’s 2014 session, which convened in Charleston Wednesday.

Many of the responders to an initial notice of inquiry (NOI) on whether to require quarterly reporting of FERC-jurisdictional next-day and next-month transactions contend that the quarterly reporting requirement would not improve natural gas market transparency.

A coalition of nine environmental groups in West Virginia have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to require that operators add tracers to fluids used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) at Marcellus Shale oil and gas wells drilled near the Monongahela National Forest.

Denver-based Enservco Corp., a provider of well-site services, said it will invest $6 million in capital expenditures during 2013, with $4.7 million being allocated to new equipment fabrication. The budget also includes $1.3 million for enhancements to existing equipment. Management estimates the annualized revenue potential from the new equipment at about $10 million. The equipment includes nine frack heating trucks with a total of 12 burner boxes, four hot oilers and two well acidizing trucks. The investments will expand the company’s frack heating capacity by 40% and increase its hot oiling fleet by 15%. Enservco said sales during April reached $3.7 million, up 85% from one year ago. The improvement was fueled in part by cool spring temperatures across the company’s service territories, as well as sustained demand for fluid heating services, particularly in regions where new fracking techniques require higher water temperatures than traditional frack designs.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the deadline from April 30 until Nov. 15 for the public to submit data and scientific literature as part of the agency’s study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on drinking water sources.

Shareholders once again are urging ExxonMobil Corp. to report how its natural gas operations in shale formations impact the environment. The oil major once again is recommending the proposal be defeated.

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) is weighing stricter regulations for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) that, among other things, would require expanded notification of landowners before fracking begins and disclosure of chemicals used in frack fluids.

A group of environmental organizations has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 6 administrator alleging that politics and not science caused the agency to drop a water contamination case against Range Resources Corp. and calling for a resumption of legal action.