The signs on Monday were pointing toward Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper calling a special session of the state legislature later this month to pass a hoped-for bipartisan measure that would resolve nagging issues over local control of oil and natural gas activities throughout the state.
Session
Articles from Session
Natural Gas Hot Topic in West Virginia Legislature
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.
Texas Regulator Name Change, Reforms Still Pending
With about a month to go in the regular legislative session, Texas lawmakers are again inching their way toward changing up the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), including its name, or maybe not.
Alaska Taking Public Comments on Proposed Frack Rules
Regulators in Alaska are proposing a comprehensive set of rules to govern hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state, and will accept public comments on the proposals through early February, when a public hearing is also scheduled.
North Dakota Turns Corner on Flaring, Officials Say
When considering the increased rate that wells are getting connected to gathering pipeline systems, North Dakota is “turning the corner” on the volumes of natural gas flaring despite the relatively high percentage of associated gas that is still being burned at the wellhead, state officials told NGI’s Shale Daily.
Nearly All Points Higher by a Nickel or So; Futures Advance
The cash market rose on average about a nickel overall Tuesday as a late-session futures surge Monday combined with supportive weather in some parts of the country to send quotes squarely into the plus column. Futures built on Monday’s gains and the July contract Tuesday rose 3.1 cents to $2.446 and August futures added 2.9 cents to $2.496. July crude oil tacked on 31 cents to $84.29/bbl.
California Pipeline Legislation Still a Mixed Bag
Gas pipeline safety laws continue to swirl around in the current session of the California state legislature, with several bills still active, although at least a couple of proposals were declared dead in committee earlier in May. A new bill (AB 478) in the lower house Assembly was introduced Tuesday to redirect fines paid by natural gas utilities to help pay for pipeline upgrades mandated in the wake of the San Bruno, CA, pipeline rupture and explosion nearly two years ago.
Report: Shale Gas Possible Windfall for Maryland
Although only two of its counties overlay the Marcellus Shale, Maryland could earn on average about $441 million in severance taxes over a 30-year period if drilling were permitted there, according to a report released Thursday by the Maryland Petroleum Council (MPC).
Cash Catches Up to Weak Futures; Most Points Show Double-Digit Losses
All cash points retreated Tuesday with most sliding in double-digits as the physical market caught up with Monday’s late-session slide in futures and adjusted for continued weather moderation for much of March.
Buyers Reveling In Low Bidweek Quotes; Futures Continue Slide
Physical and futures prices both registered double-digit losses on the final day of bidweek Tuesday as cash prices caught up with the late-session futures slide on Monday, and futures just kept trekking lower Tuesday as the market couldn’t shake the ongoing dynamics of ever-increasing storage surpluses and forecasts of mild weather expected to prolong the pounding market bulls have been taking.