Howard Energy Partners (HEP) announced it has acquired Texas Pipeline LLC and Bottom Line Services LLC for $76 million. Two firms — Crosstex Energy LP and Quanta Services Inc. — each provided $35 million in initial funding in exchange for about a 35% share of San Antonio-based HEP. Texas Pipeline operates 250 miles of gathering lines in the Eagle Ford and Pearsall shale plays. Bottom Line has built more than 500 miles of pipeline and installed more than 50 midstream facilities in the Eagle Ford.

Construction of the Niobrara Energy Park — an energy research and development facility in northern Weld County, CO, that could encompass up to 640 acres — is not expected to begin until mid-2012. Loveland, CO-based Harrison Resource Corp. is developing the site. The energy park hopes to lure oil and gas companies drilling in the Niobrara shale play with its proximity to Poudre Valley REA power transmission lines; adjoining Colorado Interstate Gas and Xcel Energy natural gas pipelines; and an adjacent Suncor Energy crude oil pipeline.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a law Tuesday requiring Pennsylvania drillers to post GPS coordinates for each well in order to aid emergency responders. Senate Bill 995 also requires operators to file an emergency response plan with state and county officials. State Sen. Lisa Baker, a Republican from northeastern Pennsylvania, said the bill came about after public safety officials told her about “worrisome holes in the safety net.” Baker introduced the bill immediately after a blowout at a Chesapeake Energy Corp. well in Bradford County (see Shale Daily, April 27).

Koch Pipeline Co. LP received shareholder approval to build a 20-inch diameter crude oil pipeline between Pettus and Corpus Christi, TX, to move Eagle Ford Shale production (see Shale Daily, Nov. 16, 2010). The line, which is nearing permit and right-of-way acquisition conclusion, is expected to be complete next summer, the company said. “With this line Koch Pipeline ultimately will have the capability to move 250,000 b/d of Eagle Ford production from the Karnes County area to the Corpus Christi area,” said Koch Pipeline President Kim Penner. The line’s completion is to coincide with updates to affiliate Flint Hills Resources‘ Ingleside, TX, terminal, which will have capacity to ship up to 200,000 b/d of production via barge to other Gulf Coast markets.