Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluids spilled in 2007 from natural gas wells are believed to be the cause of “widespread death or distress” of an aquatic species in a small Appalachian creek in Kentucky, based on a joint study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
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States Consider Suing EPA for Ignoring Methane Emissions
A coalition of seven states, led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, last week threatened to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to address methane emissions from oil and gas operations in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Wildfires Menace Texas Production
With much of drought-stricken Texas being ravaged by wildfires, the energy industry has its eyes on infrastructure that could be threatened by flames and potential production shut-ins. However, production volumes from fire-afflicted Texas counties “seem unaffected so far,” Bentek Energy LLC said in a note Friday.
Wildfires Menace Texas Production
With much of drought-stricken Texas being ravaged by wildfires, the energy industry has its eyes on infrastructure that could be threatened by flames and potential production shut-ins. However, production volumes from fire-afflicted Texas counties “seem unaffected so far,” Bentek Energy LLC said in a note Friday.
New Jersey Township Opposes Transco Expansion
Officials in a New Jersey township have joined environmental groups in opposition to plans to expand one of the state’s natural gas pipelines, which would bring Marcellus Shale gas to markets in the state and the New York City metropolitan area.
WSI Still Expects Eight Hurricanes This Year
Nearly two months into the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season three named storms have formed and none of them have seriously threatened energy interests, but forecasters at Andover, MA-based WSI Corp. say they still expect 15 named storms, including eight hurricanes, four of them Category Three or greater — the same as the 1995-2010 average — to form this year.
People
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has asked Senate leaders to set aside legislation to raise his annual salary by $19,600 after a senator threatened to block it if the pace of “new” permitting in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) did not return to the pre-BP plc Macondo well disaster rate. Salazar fired off the letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) after Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) vowed to block the request for the pay raise if the department did not resume issuance of “new” permits for GOM deepwater exploratory drilling at the same rate before the explosion aboard the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig. “It’s just my way of keeping the boot on the neck” of Interior, Vitter wrote in his letter to Salazar last Monday. Although the department has reissued a number of permits to resume activities that were interrupted as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident, it has issued only one “new” deepwater exploratory drilling permit since the moratorium was formally lifted in October. Salazar accused Vitter of “attempted coercion.” That position “is wrong, and it must be made perfectly clear that his attempt cannot and will not affect the execution of the solemn legal responsibility that the department undertakes on behalf of the American people,” Salazar said. The bill to raise Salazar’s salary was introduced by Reid earlier this month. His current salary is $180,000, The Hill reported.
Vitter Accused of ‘Coercion’ in Tying Salazar Pay Raise to Permitting
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has asked Senate leaders to set aside legislation to raise his annual salary by $19,600 after a senator threatened to block it if the pace of “new” permitting in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) did not return to the pre-BP plc Macondo well disaster rate.
Expert Says Marcellus Drillers Reusing Two-Thirds of Water
A hydrogeologist from Penn State says companies drilling in the Marcellus Shale play through hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) are recycling about two-thirds of the wastewater that returns to the surface.
Industry Briefs
Three environmental groups on Monday sent an intent-to-sue letter to the Department of Interior (DOI) for not listing sage grouse as an endangered or threatened species. Sixty days’ notice is required ahead of filing a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Center for Biological Diversity, Desert Survivors and Western Watersheds Project said the lawsuit would be filed in a still-to-be-determined federal court because DOI classified the sage grouse only as a candidate for protection under the ESA (see Daily GPI, March 8). Around 250 species considered candidates for protection have been on the list for decades, the groups said. DOI declined to comment because of its policy regarding litigation.