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Elected officials from a wealthy Pittsburgh suburb are urging their constituents to vote against a controversial referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot that would ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking) over fears that its passage would put the suburb in the crosshairs for lawsuits and undermine its drilling ordinance.

November futures plunged Wednesday as traders anticipate an inventory report to not only show additions to storage well above historical averages, but also surpass the record for October. At the close November had dropped 12.7 cents to $3.489 and December had shed 6.8 cents to $3.791. November crude oil fell 24 cents to $85.57/bbl.

In an almost unprecedented show of bipartisanship in the currently divided Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Committee last Wednesday unanimously adopted pipeline safety reauthorization legislation.

In an almost unprecedented show of bipartisanship in the currently divided Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday unanimously adopted pipeline safety reauthorization legislation.

The U.S. House, in a rare show of bipartisanship Thursday, passed the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (HR 1230), but there appears to be no rush in the Senate to develop a companion bill, where passage in any case may be in doubt.

In a rare show of bipartisanship, the U.S. House passed the “Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act,” also known as HR 1230, by a 266-149 vote on Thursday before breaking for the week. The bill now moves to the Senate.

A breakthrough technology using an absorbent form of silica removed nearly all of the petrochemicals from water produced by hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) in natural gas shale wells and other geologic formations, Energy Department scientists reported late last week.

Deep natural gas drilling in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) continue to show promise and indicate “the potential for large structures” similar to discoveries onshore South Louisiana and in the GOM deepwater, executives with New Orleans-based McMoRan Exploration Co. said last week.

Deep drilling activities in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) continue to show promise and indicate “the potential for large structures” similar to discoveries onshore South Louisiana and in the GOM deepwater, executives with New Orleans-based McMoRan Exploration Co. said Monday.