Soundly

For the fourth year in a row, ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. investors soundly defeated proposals calling for more disclosures regarding shale extraction operations.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. shareholders on Friday soundly rejected two board members up for reelection and approved three shareholder-initiated resolutions at the company’s annual meeting in Oklahoma City, signaling a turning point for the operator’s corporate governance and likely for the future of CEO Aubrey McClendon.

SemGroup Corp. on Monday soundly rejected a $1.24 billion takeover bid by Plains All American Pipeline LP, calling the offer “opportunistic” and failing to reflect the company’s “bright prospects.”

Even though a statewide ballot initiative to boost natural gas for transportation was defeated soundly by California voters last month, T. Boone Pickens’ gas-powered transportation company, Clean Energy Fuels Corp., said Monday it has won a 10-year contract with the City of Glendale, CA, to build and operate a new large-scale public access compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility to support the city’s expanding CNG-powered vehicle fleets.

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski, soundly defeated in his state’s Republican primary last week, said he will call the Legislature into special session one more time, possibly next month, in an attempt to turn his dream of commercializing Alaska natural gas from pipe dream to reality before he leaves office.

Senate Democrats last Wednesday soundly filibustered efforts to send a corporate tax cut bill back to committee to add a $13 billion energy tax package to the legislation. Talks, however, were underway between Senate leaders last week to reach a compromise with Democrats to clear the way for a more favorable vote when lawmakers return from their week-long recess.

Senate Democrats on Wednesday afternoon soundly filibustered efforts to send a corporate tax cut bill back to committee to add a $13 billion energy tax package to the legislation. A Senate aide, however, said another vote was possible later Wednesday if Senate leaders were able to address Democrats’ concerns involving amendments to the bill.