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Language included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) relating to the use of diesel fuel in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) "is extremely unclear and is open to interpretation," making it unclear if the use of diesel fuel in fracking operations would be a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), according to a Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) spokesman.

Saying that imposing a severance tax on growing natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale could hurt his state's natural gas industry, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell on Monday announced that he was dropping the proposed 5% tax plan until at least next year.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has signed agreements for nominated capacity on a planned expansion of the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline system to deliver volumes into Canadian and U.S. markets from the producer's planned Bear Head liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, which is scheduled to start up in 2008.

A trader for Golden, CO-based Enserco Energy has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with the reporting of false natural gas price and volume information to manipulate a price index published by Platts' Gas Daily.

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) last Tuesday approved the pending $475 million sale of Cascade Natural Gas to North Dakota-based MDU Resources Group Inc., following stipulations and a settlement filed with the PUC last month by MDU. Seattle-based Cascade serves retail natural gas customers in Oregon and Washington state, with its 54,633 Oregon customers concentrated in the central region including the towns of Pendleton, Hermiston and Ontario.

Despite a major snowstorm that slammed the Plains and the Midwest Friday and was bearing down on the East, a number of natural gas futures traders took profits following a week of trading higher. January natural gas futures on Friday put in a low of $8.350 before closing at $8.422, down 42.2 cents on the day but 32.3 cents higher than the previous week's close on Wednesday (Nov. 22).

The final rules under the Dodd-Frank Act to be issued in the near future would make clear that only parties that "make markets for others on a routine basis," would be subject to rules governing swap dealers, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler told a congressional committee last Wednesday.

After its Main Pass Energy Hub (MPEH) proposed offshore liquefied natural gas project was denied by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco early last month, McMoRan Exploration Co. said Thursday it has amended its license application in order to obtain approval.

The U.S. natural gas supply situation remained bearish at the end of March, despite "historic lows" in Canadian imports and the dry gas Haynesville Shale continuing to lose popularity among exploration and production (E&P) players, according to a review by Societe Generale's Laurent Key and Stephanie Aymes.

After siting several independent underground natural gas storage facilities during the past decade, California's thirst for storage still has not been quenched, particularly in the northern half of the state. Thus, it is not surprising that a veteran associated with the earlier projects has a new one, but the proposed urban location is a bit eye-popping -- in the middle of the state capital's burgeoning population.