Legislation Introduced in Congress to Add Federal Regulation Over Drilling

By -
A press release from environmental group Earthjustice:


WASHINGTON, DC–Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation today to close two of the loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from environmental laws. The BREATHE Act, introduced by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) would close a Clean Air Act loophole and the FRESHER Act, introduced by Rep. Matthew Cartwright (D-PA) would close a Clean Water Act loophole.

Specifically, the BREATHE Act would repeal a Clean Air Act exemption that allows the oil and gas industry to emit more than its fair share of toxic air pollution. It would also require the industry to control its poisonous emissions of hydrogen sulfide.

The FRESHER Act would eliminate a Clean Water Act exemption that allows oil and gas to sidestep the same stormwater runoff permitting requirements that other industries meet.

The following is a statement from Earthjustice Legislative Representative Jessica Ennis:

“We applaud Reps. Polis and Cartwright for leading the way to protect Americans from air and water pollution.

“For far too long, the oil and gas industry has been allowed to cut corners, dodging critical requirements of our bedrock environmental laws. And the American people have ended up with dirtier air and water because of it. These common sense pieces of legislation introduced today by Reps. Polis and Cartwright have one basic requirement: that oil and gas companies play by the same set of rules as everyone else.

“Today’s bill introduction comes not a moment too soon: people in dozens of states are struggling right now with the consequences of a fracking-enabled oil and gas drilling rush. Members of Congress must follow the lead set by Reps. Polis and Cartwright to restore critical environmental and public health protections all Americans deserve.”



Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Popular posts from this blog

Fracktivist in Dimock Releases Carefully Edited Video, Refuses to Release the Rest

By -
Image
From Energy in Depth: There is something very strange going on along Carter Road, in Dimock, Pennsylvania, and I’m not speaking of natural gas, methane migration, contamination, litigation or even the extensive water testing there by the EPA and others.  No, I’m talking about a new “Watergate” conspiracy, complete with 18 minutes of missing tape (well, video, actually). It seems the ever-present Green Party member and  naturist   Vera Scroggins  (a/k/a  Vera Duerga ) has posted a video of Craig Sautner meeting with the EPA.  Mysteriously, the video is but 14 seconds in length, cutting off conversation in what is obviously mid-stream.  It raises a question Craig Sautner, like  Ronald Reagan in Kings Row , might have asked, “Where’s the rest of me?’  Carter Road, isn’t Kings Row, of course, (at least not until you arrive at  the mansion Scott Ely, one of the Dimock litigants, is building with his royalty money ), but there appears to be a whole lot of film editing going on there to fi
Read more

The Second Largest Oil and Gas Merger - Cabot and Cimarex

By -
Image
       Due to investor pressure, the U.S shale drillers are being pushed to improve financial and operational performance after a few years of poor returns. Even though the industry has improved its numbers, when compared to last year, investors still want more to be done for them to earn more money.      That's why two mid-tier shale drillers, Cabot and Climarex, have decided to merge in order to eliminate $100 million in annual costs, which means more money for the investors. This all-stock transaction is valued at about $7.4 billion, which is relatively high for the oil and gas sector.      The new entity will be renamed and the headquarters located in Houston, Texas. Cabot shareholders will own 49.5 percent of the new entity, and Climarex the rest.       The Cimarex-Cabot merger will address the investor's demand for a higher amount of returning cash. The initial plan is to pay a 50-cent-per-share special dividend on closing the deal while offering a quarterly variable div
Read more

Is a Strong Oil Demand Expected This Year?

By -
Image
  According to the world's largest oil traders, global oil demand is set for a rebound. Between now and the end of 2022, global consumption is expected to increase by up to 8 million barrels each day. Vitol Group, the world's largest oil trader, supports this statement.  In an interview with Bloomberg, Vitol's chief executive Russell Hardy said, "We'll need all eight cylinders to get through 2022". This, of course, is due to the lower than average demand for oil at the moment. Reopening economies and Asian markets will create a strong demand rebound by the end of this year and in 2022.  Although the demand for jet fuel will slowly increase, it will still be below average at the end of the year. Nevertheless, a surge in petrochemicals will offset the expected delay in jet fuel demand. Last year, the oil surplus reached a record of 1 billion barrels. This excess is already more than halfway drained, and experts believe it will be depleted by the third quarter th
Read more