Matthew Veazey

Management at global petrochemical giant Dow Chemical Co. said Thursday that manufacturing sites with access to shale natural gas resources enjoyed a favorable position during the first quarter of 2022. “Natural gas has been stubbornly high,” said CEO Jim Fitterland during Dow’s earnings call for the first quarter of 2022. “It was higher than last…

Upstream oil and gas employment in Texas gained 4,300 jobs in March, which brought the statewide headcount to 184,700, the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners (TIPRO) reported earlier this month.  The trade group noted the sharp jump in Permian Basin drilling permits issued in February. Exploration and production (E&P) companies also have begun to…

Independent Chaparral Energy Inc. has been rebranded as Canvas Energy Inc., still privately held and still based in Oklahoma City. “Our new brand represents a renewed sense of purpose, enthusiasm and commitment to our employees, stakeholders, vendors and local communities to name a few,” said Canvas CEO Chuck Duginski. The company held about 231,000 net…

The utility Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP), which has proposed expanding its natural gas-fired power plant in Pinal County, AZ, hit a regulatory roadblock for the project Tuesday with the Arizona Corporate Commission (ACC). In a 4-1 vote, the ACC denied SRP a certificate of environmental compatibility (CEC) that would authorize…

Cleco Power is developing a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) facility at its Brame Energy Center power plant in Rapides Parish, LA, parent company Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC reported Monday. According to Cleco, the Project Diamond Vault CCS facility at Brame’s Madison 3 generating unit would be one of the first U.S. projects to capture…

As oil refiners worldwide seek to distance themselves from Russian crude imports, a consultancy recently predicted a “rebalance” in the global crude oil trade. The shift would occur via “‘crude swapping’ between ‘self-sanctioning’ advanced economies and developing markets,” said Wood Mackenzie’s Alex Sun, managing consultant. After the United States imposed sanctions on Russian crude oil…

The U.S. oilfield services (OFS) and equipment sector gained an estimated 2,698 jobs in March, its highest point since last September, the Houston-based Energy Workforce & Technology Council reported. “It’s encouraging to see job growth increases in the sector and that we are continuing to make gains from our pandemic lows and 2021 fourth quarter…

Domestic crude oil production edged upward last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Wednesday. For the week ending April 1, U.S. crude oil production increased by 100,000 b/d to 11.8 million b/d, according to EIA’s latest Weekly Petroleum Status Report It was yet another weekly uptick in domestic oil output after spending February…

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) reported that it issued 38% more original drilling permits year/year across the Lone Star State in February. The natural gas and oil industry regulator granted 836 drilling permits in February, compared to 606 during the same month last year. Texas, particularly the Permian Basin, has been leading “the U.S.…