Wildlife

Central New York Oil and Gas Co.’s (CNYOG) proposed MARC-I Hub Line Project, which would deliver additional Marcellus Shale and Trenton Black River natural gas to Northeast markets, may not be needed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

After inaugurating natural gas production in New Brunswick, a persistent pioneer of drilling on Canada’s Atlantic seaboard says early signs of an untapped fossil fuels mother lode have been found in eastern Quebec.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on Wednesday opened for public comment an evaluation of NiSource Inc.’s draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), a major step in helping the company obtain a multi-species incidental “take” permit for 10 federally listed species that are found across its 14-state, 17,500-mile natural gas transmission network.

Wyoming reported receiving a $10.4 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to help support Gov. Matt Mead’s sage grouse protection executive order issued earlier this year. The funding is in addition to $17 million the state has already received for conserving sage grouse from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Emphasizing that the program is voluntary, the state head of the implementation team said the USFWS funds will be used to deal with sage grouse habitat fragmentation.

In response to the state’s action earlier in June, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has sent Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead a letter of commendation for the state’s efforts to conserve sage grouse throughout the state under a protection plan ordered by the governor (see Daily GPI, June 6).

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) approved four deals with Marcellus Shale operators at its April meeting, including one that could lead to drilling on state lands.

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have urged U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to remember that BP plc’s Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico leaked a substantial amount of natural gas besides the millions of barrels of oil that got so much attention.

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have urged U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to remember that BP plc’s Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico (see Daily GPI, Aug. 4) leaked a substantial amount of natural gas besides the millions of barrels of oil that got so much attention.

Despite wildlife concerns voiced by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the state’s Office of State Lands and Investments has recommended approval of a special lease to Cimarex Energy Co. to build a natural gas processing and carbon sequestration plant.