In This Issue:

- Now is the WOTUS of Our Discontent.....:

"Waters of the United States" or "WOTUS" in the esoteric taxonomy of the Clean Water Act ("CWA"), is a term with which many are becoming increasingly familiar. This deceptively simple phrase is anything but simple in its application...

- Pennsylvania Shale Gas Sets Yet Another Record:

In the second half of 2014, Pennsylvania gas drillers produced more than two trillion cubic feet of gas. This record-setting production of four trillion cubic feet of gas for all of 2014 is 30 percent higher than 2013...

- Wolf Administration Proposes Severance Tax AND Keeping Impact Fees:

Governor Wolf has proposed a five percent severance tax on natural gas production. The proposal would replace existing drilling impact fees put into place in 2012 with undefined impact funding...

- EnLink Midstream Partners' CEO Sees Marcellus and Utica as "The Best":

At the recent Hart Energy Marcellus-Utica Midstream Conference, EnLink Midstream Partners' CEO Barry Davis said the Marcellus and Utica Shales are positioned for significant growth - despite the recent downturn in prices. Davis said they are focusing on the best of the best plays - including the Marcellus and Utica...

- Downturn In Prices Affecting Everyone, Except Pipeline Builders:

Even with the spending cuts being put in place by oil and gas companies, pipeline builders are weathering the storm. According to Frank Nieto, senior editor of Midstream Business and a Marcellus Shale researcher, "Pipelines are kind of like owning a toll booth on a highway - once you build them, you're going to get guaranteed rates; they don't build them unless you have subscribers."