State

The Upper Devonian and Utica shales contributed meaningfully for the first time to Pennsylvania’s natural gas output in 2015, according to an annual oil and gas report that was released on Monday by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

West Virginia’s severance tax revenues for fiscal year 2016 came in $195 million below projections, capping what officials characterized as a brutal year for the state’s energy industries.

Washington state regulators on Thursday approved Cascade Natural Gas Co.’s first general rate case in nearly a decade as part of a $4 million settlement agreement. Higher rates, averaging about $1.39/month more, go into effect Sept. 1, following the action by the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). Kennewick, WA-based Cascade originally sought a $10.5 million (4.17%) general increase in rates; the settlement reduced the hike to 1.6%. Cascade’s last general rate hike was in 2007. In addition to the utility and UTC staff, parties to the settlement included Northwest Industrial Gas Users, The Energy Project, and the public counsel unit of the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

At the center of a five-year, multi-state push for more natural gas vehicle (NGV) use, Oklahoma has passed a milestone in putting together a network of fueling stations along its interstate highways, drawing praise Tuesday from Washington, DC-based trade group NGVAmerica.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker is attempting to push ahead commercialization of North Slope natural gas reserves by holding back, at least for awhile, a necessary plan of development (POD) approval of the oil-producing Prudhoe Bay Unit (PBU), which is operated by BP Exploration (Alaska).

A bill that would prevent Pennsylvania from enacting tougher rules on methane emissions than the federal government has been sent to committee, but is opposed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Spurred by angry residents who allege people are still getting sick from a metallic chemical residue left in their homes, an activist group on Friday stepped up pressure on officials in Los Angeles to close Southern California Gas Co.’s (SoCalGas) Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage field.

California Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers on Monday rolled out a package of proposals they labeled as “sweeping reforms” for the five-member California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Severe heat hit Southern California Monday, driving temperatures into the triple digits and spiking the highest statewide electricity demand of the year with more to follow on Tuesday, but the taxed natural gas system appeared to be holding up, even with the state’s largest underground gas storage field closed.