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Halliburton also contacted in antitrust probe of fracturing

FuelFix: Federal officials have contacted Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc. as part of an antitrust investigation into an oil and gas drilling process used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Halliburton spokeswoman Beverly Blohm Stafford said Thursday that the company received what`s called a civil investigative demand from the Justice Department`s antitrust division during the April-to-June quarter regarding pressure pumping services and is responding to the request. "We understand there have...

Republicans Target Fracking Oversight

FuelFix: While championing the benefits of new energy extraction methods, Republican House members accused energy oversight agencies of research that misled the public on environmental and health risks. The accusations came at a joint Energy and Environment subcommittee hearing focus on hydraulic fracturing--often called “fracking”--an extraction technique pioneered in Texas in the 90s, which taps deep ground reserves of natural gas and oil. Rep. Ralph Hall of Rockwall slammed the Environmental Protection...

Keystone XL Foes Launch Aggressive Campaign Against Pipeline

FuelFix: Critics of Keystone XL are ramping up their efforts against the pipeline by launching a new coalition, nationwide commercials and online ads focused on convincing influential Democratic voters and donors that the project is a bad idea. A major goal is leveraging the power, influence and money of those Democrats to put pressure on President Barack Obama as he nears a final decision on whether to approve TransCanada Corp.`s proposed pipeline. The campaign - under the banner of the new "All Risk,...