Duke Energy Corp (DUK), Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU), TransCanada Corporation (USA) (TRP): Fracking Fright

Their primary contention is that the firm’s second in command, Andrew Bielakowski, has previously served as a consultant to TransCanada Corporation (USA) (NYSE:TRP). Beyond that, they maintain that he has also done work for Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), two among many producers that stand to benefit from a Keystone imprimatur.

Fracking fright
Beyond the administration’s potential go-it-alone approach to energy regulation, along with lessening confidence in some quarters that Keystone will receive a presidential imprimatur, there’s also the issue of a pending EPA study of fracking’s effects on the environment. Those results are due out in 2014, and negative findings could be deleterious for the technology, which has had a salient role in dramatically catapulting U.S. oil and gas output.

Foolish takeaway
While the mood surrounding the U.S. oil and gas world is far more sanguine than it was a few short years ago, I urge Fools to closely monitor the regulatory issues discussed above. Their ultimate outcomes stand to have profound effects on the U.S. conventional energy scene.

The article Could New Regulations Hinder U.S. Energy Growth? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor David Smith and The Motley Fool have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.