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There apparently is no environmental or public health fallout from an oilfield flash fire in the Bakken south of Williston, ND, that injured five workers, one of whom was airlifted to a nearby hospital in McKenzie County with burns, according to Trustland Oilfield Services and the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services.

Analysts believe operators in the Utica Shale will soon be able to bring many of their wells into production, thanks to progress in building new gathering lines, but they also caution that investors may have set their expectations too high for areas outside of the play’s core.

Analysts believe operators in the Utica Shale will soon be able to bring many of their wells into production, thanks to progress in building new gathering lines, but they also caution that investors may have set their expectations too high for areas outside of the play’s core.

In its reluctance to share its natural gas resources with the world, the United States is operating in a scarcity mode, which is at odds with today’s abundance, Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Tuesday.

To support rapidly expanding drilling programs in the Utica Shale’s southern core, MarkWest Utica EMG LLC on Friday agreed to construct a third 200 MMcf/d cryogenic natural gas processor at the Seneca complex in Noble County, OH.

The transition to oil from lower-cost dry natural gas targets by the exploration and production (E&P) industry now is complete, with operators more able to concentrate on drilling efficiencies and the higher capital outlays required, according to Canaccord Genuity.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently approved plans by a subsidiary of LS Power to build a 900 MW natural gas-fired power plant about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, bringing to nine the number of gas-fired plants proposed in and around the state’s Marcellus Shale resource.

The transition to U.S. oil targets by the exploration and production (E&P) industry now is complete, with operators more able to concentrate on drilling efficiencies and the higher capital outlays required, according to Canaccord Genuity.

No. 3 oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Inc. on Friday reported a 30% drop in first quarter profits, stung by weak North American drilling, its biggest market. Schlumberger Ltd., the world’s largest oilfield services operator, also reported a drop in quarterly profits on declines in North America, and management said the outlook for the United States and Canada this year remains uncertain.