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On December 20, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down Act 13, state drilling regulations that would have established a protected zone around the PA’s waterways, preventing any drilling within 300-feet them.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee and a major proponent of oil and gas development, is calling for the government to reduce regulations on U.S. exports of crude oil.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global energy consumption will increase by nearly 50 percent by 2035 due to population growth and the ensuing increases in demand from the developing world.
The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), the state agency responsible for the regulation of the oil and gas industry in Texas, announced that it will hire an in-house seismologist in response to a series of earthquakes in the small town of Azle, Texas.
On January 15, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a report on the potential environmental impact of a major open pit mining operation in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed.
Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) will take over for Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) as chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Environment.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) have recently introduced a bill (S.1875) to permit the use of emergency funding in fighting wildfires, in addition to money allocated in the Forest Service discretionary budget.