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Physical natural gas prices overall traded down an average of about a dime Thursday as most traders elected to get deals done prior to the release of Energy Information Administration (EIA) storage data.

Independent researcher Battelle is deploying scientists and engineers to Ohio to collaborate with state regulators about solving water issues at Marcellus and Utica shale drilling sites with new technology.

During an earnings conference call Tuesday, analysts peppered the management of Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. with questions about efforts to establish a joint venture (JV) in the Horn River Basin and take a partner in the Barnett Shale, but executives were tight-lipped, not wanting to disclose details of talks.

The growing size and complexity of several liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects in western Canada is casting some doubts about their viability, according to the CEO of one of the similar proposed West Coast export projects in Oregon. Ultimately, this may work to the advantage of U.S. LNG export projects that are relatively simple in comparison.

About 4.5 miles of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) natural gas pipeline segments in Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties in northern California may not have undergone integrity assessments prior to Dec. 17, 2007, as required by federal law, PG&E said in a letter sent to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Oct. 19. PG&E said it recently discovered that it does not have documentation to show that the high-risk segments — defined as having a threat caused by corrosion, excavation-induced damage or material defects — were properly assessed for internal corrosion threat. “Accordingly, PG&E is treating these segments as requiring baseline assessments,” PG&E said in the letter. CPUC’s safety staff has alleged that PG&E committed significant violations of pipeline safety rules, which staff claims contributed to a gas transmission pipeline rupture and explosion two years ago in San Bruno, CA (see Daily GPI, Sept. 13, 2010). Last week, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell was appointed to serve as mediator in ongoing talks aimed at resolving a series of enforcement cases against PG&E stemming from the San Bruno blast (see Daily GPI, Oct. 17).

With oil production booming in the Permian Basin of West Texas, projects are being developed to serve producers wanting to get their oil to Houston. But going west on a converted portion of Kinder Morgan’s El Paso Natural Gas (EPNG) system could one day be an option, too.

Marathon Oil Corp. is selling all of its interest in 98,409 gross acres (96,738 net) in nine tracts in Karnes, Northern Bee and Wilson counties, TX, in the Eagle Ford Shale. However, the play remains a core focus of the company.

Calgary’s Gibson Energy Inc. is beefing up its U.S. onshore services with a US$445 million agreement to buy privately held Omni Energy Services Corp., based in Louisiana.

Gulfport Energy Corp. reportedly has the best producing well to date in the Utica Shale, according to initial production (IP) data released by the Oklahoma City-based operator.