Fracking

Oil Industry Sees Thaw in White House Relationship

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The head of the American Petroleum Institute on Wednesday signaled a thaw in relations between major oil companies and the Obama administration, telling reporters that the White House has started more constructive talks with the lobby on energy development.

“We have noticed a marked change in our dialogue, perhaps just over the last three or four months,” API President Jack Gerard told reporters. “We have opened a dialogue that is constructive and we give credit where it is due: the president and his people are having a more open dialogue with us.” Keep reading →

 /  Published May 11, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Obama Administration Tightens Fracking Rules

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The Obama administration tightened rules on hydraulic fracturing late last week, requiring the disclosure of chemicals used in the process when done on federal and American Indian lands. The new rules will also require additional testing of oil and gas well construction and require the industry to have a management plan for the water used in the process. “This proposed rule will strengthen the requirements for hydraulic fracturing performed on federal and Indian lands in order to build public confidence and protect the health of American communities, while ensuring continued access to the important resources that make up our energy economy,” the Interior Department said in a statement. The move is part of a broader administration effort to increase rules for the controversial practice. Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency tightened air pollution requirements for new oil and gas wells.

 /  Published May 9, 2012 at 9:15 AM

Markets Outpace Regulators in Evaluating LNG Export Projects

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Natural gas exports are clearly in the US national interest, concludes a year-long Brookings Institution study, and the Department of Energy should approve the nine export applications now pending.

All the projects won’t get built because there’s not a big enough global market for all the liquefied natural gas they could produce, said Charles Ebinger, Director of the Brookings’ Energy Security Initiative, who led the study team. Keep reading →

 /  Published May 3, 2012 at 11:30 AM

In One of America’s Biggest Gas Fields, Law Rollback Could Deter Industry

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Plans to roll back parts of Pennsylvania’s controversial new law on natural gas development would make the state less attractive to energy companies seeking to develop the Marcellus Shale, one of America’s biggest gas fields, critics say.

Democratic lawmakers in the state House want to remove a measure in Act 13 that restricts the control of municipalities over gas development, and to cancel a section that requires doctors to sign a confidentiality agreement if gas companies disclose the identities of fracking chemicals to them. Keep reading →

 /  Published May 1, 2012 at 1:20 PM

Reporting of Fracking and Drilling Violations Weak

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For Pennsylvanians with natural gas wells on their land, chances are they won’t know if a safety violation occurs on their property. That’s because the state agency charged with regulating the wells — the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) — does not have to notify landowners if a violation is discovered. Even if landowners inquire about safety violations, DEP records are often too technical for the average person and incomplete. While some landowners would like more transparency around safety issues, as a group they are not pushing for stronger regulations. Landowners, who are paid royalties by the companies that drill on their property, generally want the drilling to proceed.

 /  Published May 1, 2012 at 9:30 AM

Marcellus Group ‘Raises Bar’ with Fracking Conservation Guidelines

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The natural gas industry in Pennsylvania is trying to disprove criticism of its fracking practices by preemptively issuing new voluntary guidelines even as the sector comes under greater scrutiny.

A group representing the natural gas industry in the Marcellus Shale issued its first recommendations on industry best practices in an effort improve its conservation ethic and deflect criticism that operators are damaging natural landscapes with wells, roads and compressor stations. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 28, 2012 at 9:00 AM

New Federal Fracking Rules Expected ‘Soon’

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The Interior Department won’t rush its regulations for hydraulic fracturing on federal land because if drilling there isn’t done safely, it “could create an Achilles heel for natural gas” and hinder production across the U.S., says Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Speaking to the National Press Club, April 24, Salazar said the new rules would be issued “soon,” and would undergird the Obama administration’s commitment to a “robust natural gas agenda.” Keep reading →

 /  Published April 26, 2012 at 9:00 AM

EPA Increases Gas Industry Oversight With Air-Quality Rule

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published its first restrictions on air pollution from natural gas fracking operations, requiring energy companies to make big reductions in the output of volatile organic compounds, air toxics and methane by flaring or using “green completions” to separate gas and liquid hydrocarbons in gas-well flowback.

The rules are designed to cut emissions of VOCs by 95 percent from about 11,000 newly fracked wells each year; reduce air toxics such as benzene by up to 20,000 tons, and lower the emission of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – by the equivalent of up to 33 million tones of CO2. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 18, 2012 at 3:45 PM

Pennsylvania Natural Gas Zoning Laws Stand, For Now

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Natural gas industry calls for relying on statewide standards of regulation received a setback when a Pennsylvania court placed a temporary injunction on a new law that limits local control over the industry.

Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Keith Quigley ordered on April 11 that local ordinances over zoning for oil and gas installations must remain in place for the time being, placing a temporary hold on part of Pennsylvania’s new Act 13, a wide-ranging law governing development of the Marcellus Shale, one of America’s biggest natural gas fields. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 13, 2012 at 9:00 AM

Pennsylvania Strengthens Natural Gas Drilling Regulations

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The Capital Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

A new Pennsylvania law that soon goes into effect will require natural gas drillers to comply with stricter environmental sustainability and transparency measures. The law, called Act 13, was signed by Governor Tom Corbett in February of this year and goes into effect on April 16th. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 4, 2012 at 11:00 AM
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