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Natural gas wells in the booming Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas will use significantly less amounts of water for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) compared to municipalities and farmers in the region, a water expert said.

A group of Pennsylvania state lawmakers is proposing an impact fee on Marcellus Shale wells based upon the actual damage caused by natural gas operations in the state.

The Heinz Endowment is looking for another university or entity to host and develop its Marcellus Shale research programs after an apparent falling out with the University of Pittsburgh.

The energy security risks of the United States worsened significantly in 2010, but shale gas has the potential to improve the security of natural gas supplies and lower energy costs, according to the second edition of an annual report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy.

A coalition of 20 Senate Democrats has called on Vice President Joe Biden to make sure a provision stripping major oil and natural gas producers of an estimated $21 billion in tax breaks over the next decade is included in any deficit-reduction package negotiated with Republicans.The coalition led by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) made the request in a letter to Biden, who is representing the administration in efforts to reach a deficit-cutting deal with Republicans, The Hill reported. On May 17 “a majority of the Senate voted for legislation to close these loopholes for the Big Five oil companies, and this mandate cannot be ignored,” the group told the vice president. While 52 senators, including three Republicans, voted for the bill to repeal the tax breaks, the measure was blocked because the majority failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance the bill. The bill, sponsored by Menendez, sought to revoke the tax breaks for Chevron Corp., BP plc, Royal Dutch Shell plc, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil Corp. Following the bill’s defeat, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he expected the legislation to resurface.

A coalition of 20 Senate Democrats has called on Vice President Joe Biden to make sure a provision stripping major oil and natural gas producers of an estimated $21 billion in tax breaks over the next decade is included in any deficit-reduction package negotiated with Republicans.

Legislation that would open leasing on all property owned by the state government — including state parks — to oil and gas companies is advancing through the Ohio General Assembly and is expected to pass.

EQT Corp. CEO David Porges said the company was “off to a good start” in 2011, but he conceded that more work needed to be done to satisfy shareholders and to meet its strategic challenges.

Three of the biggest offshore producers in the United States last week reported that they have ramped up drilling in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), and BP plc also expressed optimism that it would join its peers by the second half of this year.