Methane emissions from vast oil and gas operations in the densely populated Barnett Shale region of Texas are 50 percent higher than estimates based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) greenhouse gas inventory, according to a series of 11 new papers published today in Environmental Science & Technology. The majority of these emissions are from… Keep reading →
California public school teachers. Religious charities. New York police officers and firefighters. What do all of these groups have in common? Investors representing them — who manage $1.5 trillion in retirees, current employees’, and others assets – are standing together and calling for strong rules limiting harmful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.… Keep reading →
On June 1, 2015, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the approval of the first three solar energy projects on federal lands in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Western Solar Plan. The three Nevada projects – Invenergy’s Harry Allen Solar Energy Center, First Solar’s Playa Solar Project, and NV Energy’s Dry… Keep reading →
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management recently released a final rule to provide new oversight over hydraulic fracturing (commonly referred to as “fracking”) on federal and tribal lands.
Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Industry Challenged by Regulatory Changes While a number of regulatory changes could slow Pennsylvania’s oil and gas expansion, its resource deposits will continue to attract steady growth. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed natural gas severance tax would significantly increase the effective tax rate for shale gas producers in the state, and ongoing… Keep reading →
On Thursday, March 26, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published in the Federal Register the Final Rule on hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands.
The Bureau of Land Management contends that its new rules are consistent with state regulations and industry standards, but stakeholders believe that the rules are unnecessary or simply miss the mark.
Some important context to the new federal hydraulic fracturing rule announced by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The chart below shows the recent trend in federal onshore energy development: It’s not an inspiring picture. Since BLM deals with onshore energy, let’s look at oil and natural gas output together, measured in barrels of oil… Keep reading →
Ed. note: This is a new weekly column by Elie Mystal, Managing Editor of http://www.atlredline.com Above the Law Redline. This space will focus on the laws that exist, should exist, and should be put out of their misery. OVER-REGULATED Gaseous Emissions: The Bureau of Land Management is trying to figure out whether to tax the venting and… Keep reading →
Energy, Petrochemical & Natural Resources
Action item: To avoid and discourage duplicative and unnecessary federal oil and gas regulations, oil and gas operators should resist federal efforts to federalize hydraulic fracturing regulations and should actively engage with state regulators to craft innovative and practical regulations at the state level.
Historically, states have taken the lead in regulating oil and gas development given the states’ primary interest in securing rational oil and gas development in their own boundaries. Hydraulic fracturing—a 60-year-old technology used for oil and gas development—is a temporary process of pumping fluids underground for the purpose of extraction of natural gas or oil from deep formations lying 5,000 to 8,000 feet or more below the surface. Fresh groundwater is located from about less than 600 feet below the surface. Hydraulic fracturing has been practiced routinely for decades by operators in many states, including New York.
