Joe Fisher

Dominion Resources Inc. has recently begun talking about a preliminary idea to pipe Marcellus/Utica shale gas from West Virginia, through Virginia to southern North Carolina via a pipeline that would be called the Dominion Southeast Reliability Project.

Sundance Energy Australia Ltd. is picking up Texas acreage prospective for the Eagle Ford Shale and for the Georgetown Formation and has sold its acreage in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin in order to refocus capital on core areas, the company said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final greenhouse gas (GHG) permit to Dow Chemical Co. for an expansion at its plant near Freeport, TX. The facilities will process ethane and propane to produce products such as propylene and hydrogen, and they will include eight steam cracking-furnaces. When finished, the plant will produce 1.5 million tons of ethylene and other products such as propylene, butadiene and hydrogen each year (see Shale Daily,Dec. 13, 2012). The products are used in the chemical industry, as well as in the manufacturing of plastics, detergent and consumer chemicals. A Dow spokesman said, “the project remains on track to commence operations in the first quarter of 2017.” Texas is working to replace a federal GHG implementation plan with its own state program, which would eliminate the need for businesses to seek air permits from EPA. EPA has finalized 38 GHG permits in Texas, proposed an additional 10 permits, and currently has more than 22 additional GHG permit applications under review in Texas.

Legislation that provides for a permanent, lowered tax rate for new oil and natural gas wells in Oklahoma is on its way to Gov. Mary Fallin, who is expected to sign it, after passing both houses of the state legislature.

Sanchez Energy Corp. is buying 106,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale and associated production from Royal Dutch Shell plc for $639 million in cash. Sanchez shares zoomed Thursday.

St. Charles Parish in southeast Louisiana has been chosen as the site for a potential $1.2 billion fertilizer plant, thanks to its location in the heart of Gulf Coast natural gas country.

A bill intended to help Louisiana’s energy industry clear the decks of what it considers to be exploitative lawsuits is on its way to the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is a supporter of the measure. Meanwhile, industry is watching the progress of legislation to quash lawsuits that could put companies on the hook for billions in past coastal damage.

Growing crude oil production from the Eagle Ford Shale has prompted Koch Pipeline Co. LP to expand its South Texas system by 24 miles in San Patricio County. A new 16-inch diameter pipeline would have initial capacity of 200,000 b/d and is expected to enter service during the second quarter. “…[T]his new pipeline will help us move domestic crude to the U.S. market more efficiently by using a combination of new and existing pipeline infrastructure,” said Executive Vice President Bob O’Hair. The company operates about 540 miles of active crude oil transportation lines in Texas.

A Gulf Coast refined products export terminal that was reactivated to take advantage of the shale oil boom has loaded its first cargo, operator Enterprise Products Partners LP said Tuesday.