Rich Nemec

Denver-based South Dakota Proppants (SDP) is proceeding with plans to develop a mine on federal lands in southwestern South Dakota to supply sand used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale oil/natural gas production in the Williston and Denver Julesburg (DJ) Basins in North Dakota and Colorado.

State lawmakers and the governor in California are continuing to raise concerns about the steep increase in rail crude oil shipments into the state (see Shale Daily, May 6). They each are pushing for beefed-up safety programs that the industry thinks are unnecessary.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) on Thursday began the federal regulatory process to spin off its California operations into an independent oil/natural gas exploration and production (E&P) company before the end of this year.

There is more variety on the horizon for natural gas vehicles (NGV) based on recent announcements by Westport Innovations and Volvo in providing compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) products.

As strong advocates for government-backed climate change mitigation efforts, California officials are viewing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) power plant emission rules as the state’s shining moment with a chance to gain momentum for its now eight-year implementation of comprehensive climate change programs, including a cap-and-trade system that could benefit from the federal EPA rules.

The question of whether the high natural gas liquids (NGL) content of Bakken Shale light crude oil in North Dakota should be addressed in efforts to beef up the safety of crude rail shipments is surfacing in various industry and government venues. Members of Congress and energy executives have been quoted on the robust new source of NGL-rich oil.

A member of the larger grouse family, the lesser prairie-chicken, has stirred up a controversy in eastern New Mexico where one county will consider Friday whether to challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for designating the somewhat rare species as “threatened.” Oil/natural gas and ranching interests fear a negative impact.

An upstart New Jersey-based company with backing from Israel Corp., Primus Green Energy Inc., is poised to market a gas-to-liquid (GTL) solution for flared associated gas in North Dakota and other parts of the globe seeking to harness the wasted offshoot of today’s crude oil boom.

A new “norm” in natural gas pipeline safety programs needs to be a proactive, sustainable approach to leak detection, said PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). It calls for a “cultural transformation” in pipeline operators.