Additional

ExxonMobil Corp. shareholders for the third year in a row turned back a shareholder proposal which would require the corporation to prepare a report on the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Chevron Corp. shareholders defeated a similar measure at their annual meeting, with fewer voting in favor than a year ago.

One day after purchasing natural gas processing facilities and associated infrastructure in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, MarkWest Energy Partners LP said it plans to remain independent and will allocate more toward capital expenditures (capex) in 2012.

Matador Resources Co. is moving forward with its plan to target the wet gas and oil-prone Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas this year while ramping down development of its dry gas Haynesville Shale acreage in North Louisiana, the Dallas-based company said Tuesday.

Copano Energy LLC plans to add an additional 400 MMcf/d of cryogenic processing capacity at its Houston Central complex in Colorado County, TX, to meet demand from producers in the liquids rich Eagle Ford Shale. The expansion would bring Copano’s cryogenic capacity at the facility to 1 Bcf/d. The project is expected to cost $190 million and be in service mid-2014. Copano also announced a new long-term fee-based gathering and processing agreement with a “major” Eagle Ford producer, which combined with previously announced producer commitments, will support the expansion. Copano had previously announced plans for an initial 400 MMcf/d cryogenic processing expansion at Houston Central, which is expected to be in service during the first quarter of 2013 (see Shale Daily, April 21, 2011). “This second cryogenic expansion project reaffirms our commitment to being a leading midstream service provider in the Eagle Ford shale,” said CEO R. Bruce Northcutt.

MarkWest Energy Partners LP is building out its services for Appalachian rich-gas producers with the $512 million acquisition of Pennsylvania-based Keystone Midstream Services LLC.

A district court judge in Texas has ruled that oil and natural gas production equipment used “below ground” is exempt from state sales taxes on extraction equipment.

Don’t like today’s low natural gas prices? Hang on, they will change, eventually, ConocoPhillips Gas & Power’s Jim Duncan, manager of market research, told a Houston audience Thursday.

A new tariff approved Thursday for Texas Gas Transmission (TGT) sets out an enhanced nominations service (ENS) with an additional 11 nomination cycles each gas day and interruptible (IT) bump times as short as one hour to serve the on-again, off-again power generation load.

A new tariff approved Thursday for Texas Gas Transmission (TGT) sets out an enhanced nominations service (ENS) with an additional 11 nomination cycles each gas day and interruptible (IT) bump times as short as one hour to serve the on-again, off-again power generation load.