Suit

A coalition of grassroots organizations in Ohio has started a campaign to restore local governments’ ability to regulate oil and natural gas drilling, a “home rule” power that could potentially be used by opponents of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to ban the practice in their communities.

Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly were able to override Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of a bill to legalize hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on Monday after a voting error by a Democratic lawmaker.

Despite earlier promulgations that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can be performed safely, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue on Sunday vetoed a bill that would have legalized the practice and begun the process for its regulation.

Endeavour International Corp. said it plans to spend 2012 focusing on developing its offshore oil assets and ramping up production in the North Sea while it waits to see the results from tight oil test wells drilled into the Heath Shale play in Montana.

Range Resources Corp. has filed suit against a Pennsylvania township, alleging that the municipality violated state meetings law by not giving proper notice before making sweeping, prohibitive changes to its Marcellus Shale drilling ordinance.

Range Resources Corp. has filed suit against a Pennsylvania township, alleging that the municipality violated state meetings law by not giving proper notice before making sweeping, prohibitive changes to its Marcellus Shale drilling ordinance.

Northeast Natural Energy (NNE) has filed suit in circuit court against the City of Morgantown, WV, to prevent the city from enforcing its new ordinance banning hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

The couple at the center of state and federal investigations of alleged water well contamination by gas drilling activities in North Texas has filed suit against Range Resources Corp. and others, seeking damages of $4.5 million plus $2 million for mental anguish, attorney fees, as well as trebling of damages under the Texas Business and Commercial Code.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced last Tuesday that it had filed suit in New York against two traders and three firms, alleging that in 2008 they manipulated crude oil futures prices in a trading scheme that bagged more than $50 million.