Above

Concentrations of methane, ethane and propane were found in higher levels in drinking water for homes within a kilometer of shale gas wells in parts of the Marcellus Shale in northeast Pennsylvania, according to a study released Monday. It was the third such study by Duke University’s Robert Jackson, a professor of environmental sciences.

While the United States has undergone a “tectonic shift” underground with the shale revolution, that shift has failed to translate to attitudes above-ground, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) she told a crowd of more than 900 from around the world attending the Energy Information Administration Energy Conference in Washington, DC.

Chevron Corp. said it has reached agreements to acquire two adjoining parcels of land totaling 61 acres in Moon Township in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area as a potential site for its regional headquarters office campus.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co.’s Eagle Ford Shale play is “hitting on all cylinders,” and in the liquids-rich Barnett Shale combo play, well costs are declining, COO Timothy Dove said during an earnings conference call.

Aiming to expand its international unconventional resource opportunities, Houston-based exploration and production independent ConocoPhillips said Wednesday it has entered into a set of agreements with PetroChina Co. Ltd., under which PetroChina will acquire an interest in two Western Australia exploration assets and establish a joint study agreement (JSA) for unconventional resource development in China’s Sichuan Basin.

So far, it looks like another mild winter is underway, but that is likely to change in a couple of weeks. A sudden warming of the stratosphere — six to 30 miles above the ground — in the North Pole is going to push cold air southward, according to AccuWeather.com.

So far, it looks like another mild winter is underway, but that is likely to change in a couple of weeks. A sudden warming of the stratosphere — six to 30 miles above the ground — in the North Pole is going to push cold air southward, according to AccuWeather.com.

New wells in the nation’s shale plays helped push natural gas production higher in Texas and some other states in August, but it wasn’t enough to keep the U.S. total from sliding to 76.60 Bcf/d, a 3.4% decline compared with 79.33 Bcf/d in July, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production report.

North Dakota again set new all-time highs for oil and natural gas production, drilling permits issued and producing wells in August, according to the latest report from state Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) Director Lynn Helms. The average price for sweet crude was up, too.