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Although there is no direct link to the catastrophic San Bruno pipeline rupture and explosion nearly two years ago, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. again was placed on the defensive by local news reports Tuesday suggesting that as recently as four years ago the combination utility was encouraging workers to defer a lot of distribution pipeline leak repairs.

The cash market on average was unchanged Wednesday as weather forecasts for major metropolitan areas showed little in the way of near-term heat, although warmth was forecast for the Midwest and Ohio Valley into the Father’s Day weekend. Physical prices were within a few pennies of unchanged at most points and at the close of futures trading July had eased 4.7 cents to $2.185 and August had slipped 5.1 cents to $2.236. July crude oil shed 70 cents to $82.62/bbl.

Although keeping a lid on the details of the deal for now, Rex Energy Corp. said the Utica Shale joint venture it recently entered into with MFC Drilling Inc. and Abarta Oil & Gas Co. Inc. requires it to drill and complete one well and begin drilling two others by Nov. 15, and requires three additional wells each year until the company satisfies the carry obligation. The JV covers a three county region of eastern Ohio.

Both cash and financial gas advanced Monday, although marketers were trying to digest mixed weather outlooks and financial traders saw nothing on the horizon to indicate market fundamentals had changed. Nationwide cash prices rose by about a nickel with strong gains reported at Northeast points and more modest advances along the Gulf. At the close of futures trading May had risen 3.5 cents to $2.016 and June gained 2.4 cents to $2.108. May crude oil was up 10 cents to $102.93/bbl.

Although already under environmental appeal, Utah state officials issued a permit the last week in March to a Delaware-based company to a begin a large oil shale extraction project that eventually could cover up to 1,500 acres in the Uintah Basin. It could end up being one of the largest oil shale mining operations in the state.

Although several companies hope one day to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from export facilities in North America, analysts at Scotland’s energy analyst group Wood Mackenzie warn that the prospects for many domestic exports are far from certain.

Although the announcement does not mean the company is committed to its plans for a “world-scale” facility just yet, it ends months of speculation about where Shell would locate the facility and the competition among the three states in the running (see Shale Daily, Dec. 5, 2011; Sept. 7, 2011; June 7, 2011).

Although still far from committing to a project, Shell Chemical LP delighted Pennsylvanians Thursday by choosing a rural area outside of Pittsburgh as the potential location for a major petrochemical complex that could include an ethane cracker in the heart of the Appalachian Basin.

Although Pennsylvania could eventually lease additional state forest land for natural gas drilling, it will likely be in small doses, according to the state’s top land manager.