Major development this past week in the world’s top natural gas play — the Marcellus shale of the northeastern U.S. Lawmakers in Pennsylvania — where the bulk of the Marcellus is located — finally introduced a set of new drilling rules for wells in the state. Capping an effort that’s been underway for years now. And last Friday, an oil and gas industry group said these laws could be incredibly damaging to the shale industry here. The group of natgas producers, called the Marcellus Shale Coalition, filed a petition with Pennsylvania courts to block parts of the new drilling rules. Saying that they impose unnecessary burdens on drillers without having a material effect in protecting the environment. The rules — which were officially passed into action by Pennsylvania on October 8 — have a number of sticking points for industry. For one, they allow a wider spectrum of groups […]