Page 2 - John Walliser News Today

After the price of crude oil plummeted to $75 a barrel, which marked the lowest price since December of last year, big oil companies kept consumer gas prices artificially high, according to new analysis by Accountable.US. Chris Marshall, research manager for the group, said instead of passing cost savings down to consumers who have been paying high prices for months, big oil has continued to line the pockets of its wealthy shareholders and executives. "While prices at the pump have be...

New rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency would require regular inspections of all methane-emitting oil and gas production sites throughout the country. In Pennsylvania, groups that support the rules say theyll open the door for more jobs in the natural-gas industry. Isaac Brown, executive director of the Center for Methane Emission Solutions, noted there is a market now for technologies and companies to help energy producers address emissions, which means theyll need more worke...

The state risks health and highway funding if it doesn’t pass regulations on oil and gas pollution.

Renewed attempts by Pennsylvania House Republicans to boost natural gas production by ending a ban on new drilling on public lands, among other measures, are unlikely to succeed because the industry already owns many unused leases on those lands, and because it lacks the pipeline capacity to take any new gas to market even if it was produced, analysts said.

The measures seek to halt Gov. Tom Wolf’s moratorium on new drilling under state forests.

Despite Republican calls for higher gas production, IFO figures show it actually increased by 6.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared with a year earlier, suggesting more downward pressure on prices.

Colorado have attempted to provide buffer zones for drilling. Michanowicz said increasing the setback rule in Pennsylvania would not have much effect if the law’s exemptions remain intact. “It’s probably a different set of policy tools if your goal is to protect public health and safety,” he said. That could include placing additional emissions controls on wells built within the 500-foot zone, or forcing companies to perform “alternate site analysis” where they would need to show wh...

Fighting climate change, planting more trees and funding environmental progress in tight times will be among the challenges confronting state lawmakers in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania when they gather in January in their respective capitals. The 2021 legislative sessions will open as last year’s ended, under the shadow of a coronavirus pandemic that eviscerated state budgets — and even sent Maryland lawmakers home early with many bills still awaiting action. Tree plantings and ...

Rachel McDevitt / StateImpact Pennsylvania Pennsylvania’s goals for utilities to buy increased amounts of power from alternative sources, such as wind and solar, are set to flatline in 2021 unless the General Assembly acts. Advocates for raising the standards say it will create jobs and help address climate change. Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004 set a series of targets for electricity generated by a range of sources, from solar to waste coal. Utiliti...