Stricter

As some municipalities and environmental groups step up a call for stricter oversight of natural gas drilling in the Barnett Shale, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) last week launched a website to distribute information about air pollution testing in the North Texas gas play.

As some municipalities and environmental groups step up a call for stricter oversight of natural gas drilling in the Barnett Shale, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) this week launched a website to distribute information about air pollution testing in the North Texas gas play.

Interior Department Acting Inspector General Mary L. Kendall has recommended stricter controls on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) auction process and tougher requirements for bidders to avoid a repeat of the scene last December where a bad-faith bidder disrupted a Utah auction to protest the impact of drilling on the environment (see NGI, Dec. 22, 2008).

Interior Department Acting Inspector General Mary L. Kendall has recommended stricter controls on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) auction process and tougher requirements for bidders to avoid a repeat of the scene last December where a bad-faith bidder disrupted a Utah auction to protest the impact of drilling on the environment (see Daily GPI, Dec. 22, 2008).

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), an independent interstate compact agency, has notified natural gas producers of its intent to enforce stricter regulations with respect to the use of water to develop wells in the Marcellus, Utica and other shale formations in the Susquehanna watershed in Pennsylvania and New York. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) also has gotten tougher, requiring producers to submit water management plans as part of their applications for drilling permits.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), an independent interstate compact agency, has notified natural gas producers of its intent to enforce stricter regulations with respect to the use of water to develop wells in the Marcellus, Utica and other shale formations in the Susquehanna watershed in Pennsylvania and New York.

Colorado’s move to impose stricter regulations on the oil and natural gas industry may lead EnCana Corp. to reallocate a chunk of its North American exploration budget to more “friendly” areas of the United States, a company executive said last week.

Colorado’s move to impose stricter regulations on the oil and natural gas industry may lead EnCana Corp. to reallocate a chunk of its North American exploration budget to more “friendly” areas of the United States, a company executive said Tuesday.

Certain interstate gas pipeline construction and upgrade projects will have to meet stricter landowner notification requirements under a final rule approved Thursday by FERC.