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US Court says BLM lacks authority to regulate fracking
Posted by EnergyWire: Mike Soraghan on October 2nd, 2015
EnergyWire: The Obama administration does not have authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing on public lands, a federal judge decided yesterday.
In a major blow to the Bureau of Land Management and environmentalists who support stricter fracking oversight, the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming enjoined BLM's years-in-the-making fracking rule, blocking enforcement of the new regulation while the court considers industry and state challenges.
"One of the fundamental questions presented in...
In oil-friendly Oklahoma, Gov. Fallin moved slowly on ‘awkward’ issue of quakes
Posted by EnergyWire: Mike Soraghan on July 9th, 2015
EnergyWire: As she knocked on the federal government's door for aid in the wake of a damaging earthquake in 2011, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) avoided talking about one aspect of the earthquake -- its cause.
Too "awkward," said Fallin's communications director, Alex Weintz.
"The problem is, some people are trying to blame hydraulic fracturing (a necessary process for extracting natural gas) for causing earthquakes," Weintz wrote in an email, vetoing mention of the earthquake at an energy conference. "So...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on In oil-friendly Oklahoma, Gov. Fallin moved slowly on ‘awkward’ issue of quakesMethane rules hint Obama is taking a tougher line on oil and gas
Posted by EnergyWire: Mike Soraghan on January 16th, 2015
EnergyWire: The Obama administration's approach to regulating methane could signal a tougher approach to the growing domestic oil and gas industry as President Obama tries to build his environmental legacy. Administration officials came down mostly on the side of environmental groups in the debate, hinting at an end to the kid-gloves approach they've taken with producers since before Obama's 2012 re-election. The White House disappointed environmentalists by leaving out -- for now -- existing oil and gas wells....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Methane rules hint Obama is taking a tougher line on oil and gasCrude mishaps on trains spike as rail carries more oil
Posted by EnergyWire: Mike Soraghan on July 17th, 2013
EnergyWire: The number of spills and other accidents from railroad cars carrying crude oil has skyrocketed in recent years, up from one or two a year early in the previous decade to 88 last year.
Only four of those were classified as serious by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and none involved injuries. So they didn't even approach the human tragedy caused by a runaway oil train in Quebec earlier this month.
But the jump highlights a side effect of crude oil production...