Emergency crews from three northeastern Pennsylvania counties responded Thursday afternoon to an apparent flash fire at the Lathrop compressor station in Springville Township. The 12,000-square-foot facility, operated by Williams Partners LP, houses seven compressors.
Afternoon
Articles from Afternoon
Newfield Continues Transition to Oil Company
Newfield Exploration Co. said that in 2012 it will devote more of its capital expenditure (capex) program and boost production in natural gas liquids (NGL) and oil — at the expense of natural gas — as it looks to become an oil-weighted company by 2013.
West Virginia Panel to Tackle Four Outstanding Shale Issues
A bipartisan panel of West Virginia lawmakers seeking a consensus on possible Marcellus Shale regulatory reform are scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning in Charleston.
Industry Briefs
Emergency responders were wrapping up their work Thursday afternoon at the site of a reported explosion at a drilling rig in the Eagle Ford Shale in Falls City in Karnes County, TX. According to press reports, two people had been hospitalized. The explosion reportedly occurred just before noon. The Karnes County sheriff was not available for comment, but a deputy said at 2:30 CDT that crews were preparing to leave the scene. The rig was reported to be targeting oil; the name of its owner/operator was not available at press time. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Jason Reyes told the San Antonio Express-News that a truck driver who was transferring oil was injured when a truck was set on fire and ignited the explosion. The driver received second- and third-degree burns, he said. In a separate incident Monday night an explosion and fire occurred at a Continental Resources natural gas well in Oklahoma; there were no injuries (see Daily GPI, Sept. 21).
Arkansas Establishes Injection Well Moratorium Area
Arkansas regulators Wednesday afternoon established a permanent moratorium area for any new drilling wastewater injection wells in an area of the Fayetteville Shale where four such wells are thought to have contributed to earthquakes.
Susquehanna Commission Suspends Water Withdrawals
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has suspended 41 water withdrawals in Pennsylvania as of Monday afternoon because of low-flowing streams in the central part of the state, forcing many natural gas driller to stop taking water from certain local waterways.
‘Oily Substance’ Spotted Along Louisiana Coast
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) was responding Wednesday afternoon to a report of oil in Breton Sound near Venice, LA. The spill was said to be several miles long, but it was not known if it was oil.
Traders Exit Losing Positions; April Rises
Futures rose but traders saw the advance as devoid of any directional factors and noted active spread trading. Trading of outright futures and options was light. At the close April had added 6.6 cents to $3.930 and May futures were up 6.2 cents to $3.986. April crude oil fell 64 cents to $104.38/bbl.
Transportation Notes
Northern Natural Gas did not extend a System Overrun Limitation in market-area Zone EF beyond Wednesday.
Transportation Notes
Northern Natural Gas late Tuesday afternoon said it will implement a System Overrun Limitation Thursday for all market-area zones (ABC, D and EF). Compared to the pipeline’s normal system weighted temperature of 25 degrees at this time of year, it projected that averages would fall from 28 Wednesday to 18 Thursday, 12 Friday and 13 Saturday.