E2 Round-up: A hybrid climate bill, oil industry makes nice, and investors eye natural gas drillers

Still, Gerard criticized the administration for the decline in the number of drilling leases on federal land and water and said the industry would fight any tax increases, in Greenwire.

Investors who want the companies they invest in to act in an environmentally responsible manner are targeting companies that operate in the Marcellus Shale, in Reuters. 

The shale is located in the Northeast and is thought to contain a huge amount of natural gas, prompting a bit of a gold rush there. The discovery promises to be a boon to the region. But it is also raising concerns about a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, which some groups claim can spoil drinking water resources. Industry strongly rejects that claim.

Reuters also reports this morning that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar rejected Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s recent call to move ahead with oil and gas leasing off his state’s shores.