New Pennsylvania Impact Fee Law to “Regulate” Marcellus Industry

February 15, 2012

Pennsylvania now has a comprehensive Impact Fee law to regulate, to some degree, the drilling and fracking for oil and/or natural gas. This 174-page bill, HB1950, was debated and approved by both the House and Senate of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and was sent to Governor Tom Corbett for signature. It was signed into law [...]

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US Shale Gas Boom May Lead to a Petrochemical Excess

February 14, 2012

According to Joseph Chang, an editor on the “ICIS.com” information service, at least three major chemical companies are proceeding with plans for world-scale chemical reactors (‘crackers’) to feed on ethane from the Marcellus shale.  These plants would produce ethylene such as to contribute to as much as a 29% increase in this commodity in the [...]

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“Marcellus Principles” Resolution Passes WV Senate by Voice Vote

February 13, 2012

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 12. MARCELLUS PRINCIPLES (By Senators Klempa, Kessler (Mr. President), Unger, Prezioso, Plymale, Palumbo, Snyder, Green, Wills, Wells, Laird, Browning, Foster, McCabe, Minard, Yost, Fanning, Beach, Helmick, Jenkins, D. Facemire, Miller, Edgell, Chafin, Stollings, Kirkendoll, Hall, Boley, Barnes, Sypolt, Nohe, Williams and Tucker)     Encouraging corporations engaged in the Marcellus Shale industry in the [...]

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Also this week: E Day and Future Fund Talk

February 11, 2012

E-DAY in Charleston The 23rd annual E-Day, organized by the West Virginia Environmental Council (WVEC), brought together 25 environmental groups and sustainable businesses at the Capitol on Wednesday of this week.  The theme for this E-Day was “One WV – Justice for All”.  You can read further about this successful event in Denise Poole’s report [...]

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Pennsylvania Passes Marcellus Bill; Industry Investment in Politics Pays Off

February 9, 2012

The Pennsylvania Legislature passed a bill today to institute an impact fee on Marcellus gas wells and limit the ability of municipalities to restrict gas drilling.  The House passed the bill by a vote of 101-90, mostly along party lines.  The Wall Street Journal reports: Gov. Tom Corbett, who pushed for the legislation, praised its [...]

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Sierra Club Opposes Maryland LNG Export Terminal

February 8, 2012

The subject of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) has become controversial.  The Energy Department is studying whether or not it is in the national interest to export LNG and is expected to release a report in a few months. The Sierra Club weighed in by filing  a formal objection with the Energy Department against a [...]

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Federal Regs for Drilling on Public Lands Advance; Nota Bene WV Legislators

February 7, 2012

Our state Legislature could take a page or two from the federal playbook on shale gas regulation on public lands.  The 3 and 1/2 pages of rules proposed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management require measures which industry should be employing routinely in the course of best industry practices.  EE News [...]

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The Incredible Advertising and Public Relations Campaign of the Natural Gas Industry

February 5, 2012

CBS “Sunday Morning” today carried a commercial from “energyfromshale.org” saying that Williamsport, PA, is much better because of the new natural gas drilling and fracking activities in the area.  Here is an example of the message from their web-site: In towns across America, like Williamsport, PA, people are experiencing the benefits of shale energy.  New [...]

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Cheap Natural Gas is Replacing Coal for Electricity Production; Chesapeake Energy & Sierra Club Now at Odds

February 4, 2012

Jeff Herholdt, the director of the WV Division of Energy, delivered projections for coal in the future and its role  in West Virginia, according to the Taylor Kuykendall article in the State Journal. Herholdt was speaking to the WV Coal Association at their annual state symposium: The biggest threat to continued use of coal-fired generation, Herholdt [...]

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Is the Answer (to Electricity) Blowing in the Wind ?

February 3, 2012

Residents of Pennsylvania are now selecting electricity suppliers and their choices include wind energy, as part of the ChoosePAWIND program (www.choosepawind.com), according to Don Hopey in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Pennsylvania’s green energy consumers now have a choice, just like when they’re buying produce,” Katie Bellezza, marketing manager for EverPower Wind Holdings Inc., said during a [...]

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