Rich Nemec

Given political and legal developments in recent months that strengthen the state’s position in regulating oil and natural gas activities, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) agreed Tuesday to dismiss its nearly two-year-old lawsuit against a city ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) passed by Longmont, CO, voters.

Gas Natural Inc.subsidiary Energy West Inc. has agreed to sell Wyoming natural gas utility assets, Energy West Wyoming Inc., to Black Hills Corp. for $17 million. The parties said they plan a smooth transition for customers. The transaction is expected to close within a year. Energy West intends to use the proceeds to reinvest in the business. In 2Q2014, Gas Natural reported a $1.4 million loss (minus 14 cents/share), compared with a loss of $300,000 (minus 4 cents) in 2Q2013.

Oil and natural gas production continued to climb in North Dakota in August, but at a more modest pace, the state’s latest monthly statistics revealed Wednesday.

A strong majority of potential voters in four western states support government mandates for oil/natural gas operators to greatly cut amounts of flared wellhead associated gas, according to a recent survey completed for the nonprofit Western Values Project (WVP).

Houston-based Oasis Petroleum Inc. continued water and soil sampling Monday after one of its pipelines spewed 42,000 gallons of salty wastewater into a pool and small creek that are part of a tributary to a Missouri River reservoir in McKenzie County in northwest North Dakota.

Beleaguered by fallout from the fatal San Bruno natural gas transmission pipeline failure, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) now contends that its stepped-up pipeline maintenance and safety programs are beginning to pay dividends. It is citing a 99% reduction in what it called minor pipeline leaks last year as a positive indicator.

With significant new pipeline capacity not likely before some time in 2016, burgeoning Bakken crude oil production in North Dakota will continue to rely on rail to access the three coasts: East, West and Gulf, according to a report by Fitch Ratings.

Billing it as the largest private sector investment ever in the state, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple and senior officials at Delaware-based Badlands NGL LLC on Monday unveiled a proposed $4 billion polyethylene manufacturing project.

California oil/natural gas regulators on Thursday issued yet another set of draft well stimulation rules, including for hydraulic fracturing (fracking), making further refinements based on nearly 200,000 comments that have been accumulated in the past 10 months. One change has raised the proposed threshold level for seismic activity tied to well stimulation to 2.7 from a previously proposed level of 2.0.