Unconventional wells that were hydraulically fractured and drilled horizontally accounted for 69% of all oil and natural gas wells drilled in the United States in 2016 and 83% of the total linear footage drilled in the nation, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The unconventional wells accounted for about 10.7 million of the nearly 13 million feet of total drilled footage in 2016. About 670,000 of the 977,000 producing wells in the United States that year were hydraulically fractured and horizontally drilled. The combination of fracturing and horizontal drilling has contributed to increases in U.S. oil and gas production, which are expected to reach record levels this year. EIA said.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to sue Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) to recover damages for the utility’s alleged role in last October’s deadly wildfires. The lawsuit is scheduled to be filed in late February, alleging that PG&E facilities were responsible for fires that covered 137 square miles in the county, killing 24 people and destroying more than 5,000 homes.Since the unprecedented fires in both Northern and Southern California last fall, PG&E and other utilities in California have braced for regulatory and legal challenges.

California’s residential and small business natural gas customers choosing to use third-party procurement, including transportation, will have some added protections following adoption of requirements for the third party providers by the California Public Utilities Commission. The rules are in response to SB 656. In addition to the agent registration, a formal and informal complaint process has been created, and a standard list of services and other consumer options and protections.