Carolyn Davis

George P. Mitchell and crew long have been credited with finding the trigger to unlock unconventional natural gas, but it was in fact a colorful cast of visionaries, oddballs and take-no-prisoner pitchmen who helped launch the United States on the road to energy independence, as told in the insightful, and at times suspenseful, new book by bestselling author Gregory Zuckerman, The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. disclosed in a filing late Wednesday that it has received subpoenas and demands for various documents in connection with an investigation launched last year regarding a Michigan leasehold sale.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s infrastructure buildout in Colorado’s Wattenberg field was slowed by recent flooding, and about 250 wells remain shut-in, but the field’s output in the third quarter still more than doubled from a year ago, with U.S. onshore volumes breaking records.

Ultra Petroleum Corp., whose fortunes long have been linked to onshore natural gas, still is struggling a bit to recover from the “train wreck” that was 2012, and in the third quarter it got its mojo on track, with drilling efficiencies improving enough to allow the operator to reduce 2013 capital spending by $30 million, while still maintaining production forecasts.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. still has a way to go before it reaches optimal flying altitude, but CEO Doug Lawler has set the management team on a course designed to strip the portfolio to those that perform the best, which means more assets likely will be sold into 2014.

George P. Mitchell and crew long have been credited with finding the trigger to unlock unconventional natural gas, but it was in fact a colorful cast of visionaries, oddballs and take-no-prisoner pitchmen who helped launch the United States on the road to energy independence, as told in the insightful, and at times suspenseful, new book by bestselling author Gregory Zuckerman, The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters.

Encana Corp. on Tuesday announced a bold strategy to move back into the winning column by focusing on only five North American onshore plays — down from 30 — requiring leasehold sales, a spinoff and a 20% reduction in jobs. The goal is to balance liquids and natural gas by 2017 from a limited number of assets, said CEO Doug Suttles.

Encana Corp., in stress mode since natural gas prices collapsed in 2009, will spend 75% of 2014 capital on only five North American onshore plays, all oily and liquids-rich, a strategy that within four years is designed to create a more evenly balanced operator.

The global markets need more natural gas than ever before, which requires more liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from well supplied countries like Canada and the United States, Chevron Corp.’s gas and midstream chief said Friday.