BERLIN (AP) — Germany's environment minister says he doesn't expect the extraction of natural gas by "fracking" will start any time soon in Europe's biggest economy.
The business community's uncertainty over natural gas exports will be aired at a Capitol Hill hearing next week when senators hear testimony from the head of Dow Chemical and a vice president from the National Association of Manufacturers. The company and NAM recently split over the potential impacts of gas exports.
Dow CEO Andrew N. Liveris and NAM Vice President for Energy and Resources Policy Ross Eisenberg are among six witnesses who are to testify Tuesday before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The lineup does not include any representatives of the Obama administration.
A leaked draft of the Interior Department's revised public lands fracturing rule would give companies more latitude to disclose chemicals through FracFocus.org, an industry-backed database, EnergyWire reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has thrown out an Energy Department rule that could have forced decorative fireplaces fueled by natural gas to meet energy efficiency standards.
HOUSTON (AP) — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. dropped by 5 this week to 1,759.
BERLIN (AP) — Matt Damon hopes his drama on the divisive practice of fracking, "Promised Land," will win over international critics despite a U.S. reception that disappointed the actor.
BANGKOK (AP) — Oil prices rose above $96 a barrel Friday after China reported better-than-expected monthly trade data, a sign that its economic recovery is gaining traction.
The new chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is pressuring the Obama administration to develop "sound" regulation of hydraulic fracturing at wells drilled on public lands.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. said in a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar he wants the department to issue a proposal that ensures public health and environmental protection. He said residents of communities near drilling "must have confidence that the water they drink and the air they breathe will be free of harmful pollutants."
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell below $96 per barrel Thursday after the head of the European Central Bank expressed concern over a recent rise in the euro.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Justice Department to join the European Union's probe of possible oil price manipulation, Reuters reports.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane said the NRC can't consider a public hearing on the San Onofre nuclear plant until June, when an appeal period of an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruling ends.
Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., introduced a bill that would ensure that only domestically-made biofuels can be used to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard, The Chattanoogan reports.
A federal judge refused to reconsider a ruling that upheld the Interior Department's power to ban new hard rock mining projects on federal land, The Associated Press reports.
Tesla Motors increased the value of its stock and debt offerings 30 percent to $1.08 billion to gather reserves and pay back its Energy Department loans, Bloomberg reports.
Poland called on the European Union to end energy subsidies for fossil fuels and renewable sources and cut oil imports to better combat climate change, Bloomberg reports.
The first well reports from the Utica shale in Ohio show a significant supply of natural gas but not as much oil as some energy companies were expecting, Reuters reports.
