1. OIL AND GAS:
Final Ohio drilling bill dampens Kasich's robust chemical disclosure plans
Drilling rules first regarded by some environmentalists as pioneering emerged from the Ohio Legislature last week without the full oomph some activists had expected. The rules, included in a broad energy bill supported by Republican Gov. John Kasich, address chemical disclosure, water quality testing and other oil and gas drilling issues that have arisen in the state's newly bustling portions of the Marcellus and Utica shale formations. Kasich's original proposal would have required the disclosure of fluids used throughout the life of a well, during drilling, stimulation, production and plugging. But during negotiations, legislators bowed to industry pressure and softened the disclosure requirement.