Attempts

Cyber attacks on the oil and gas industry ranging from espionage by foreign intelligence services to attempts to interrupt a company’s physical operations are posing “an increasingly challenging problem for U.S. national security and economic competitiveness,” according to a new study by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

A growing realization is dawning for European shale gas operators that “serious” man-made and technical obstacles may block attempts to replicate U.S. experiences with shale gas, according to London-based analyst Chatham House.

Landowner groups in Ohio say they are battling it out with Chesapeake Energy Corp., the largest leaseholder in the Utica Shale, over the company’s attempts to renegotiate leases to expand acreage and increase the size of drilling units. The landowners claim landmen are going door to door, trying to pressure them into signing on for larger drilling units so Chesapeake doesn’t have to drill as many wells to hold onto its acreage.

Landowner groups in Ohio say they are battling it out with Chesapeake Energy Corp., the largest leaseholder in the Utica Shale, over the company’s attempts to renegotiate leases to expand acreage and increase the size of drilling units.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have issued an outline that attempts to clarify the responsibilities of each agency with respect to oil and gas regulation.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. on Friday ended the week as it started — with questions about corporate governance hounding the company.

A plan unveiled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Colorado on Monday that was 10 years in the making, which attempts to balance oil and gas exploration with other uses across a 2.4 million-acre swath of land in northwestern Colorado, is drawing criticism from conservation groups, landowners and energy producers.

September natural gas futures fell hard Thursday following the release of bearish inventory figures and unsuccessful attempts to fend off aggressive selling in equity and oil markets. At the close September natural gas had fallen 14.9 cents to $3.941 and October had dropped 14.7 cents to $3.955. September crude oil imploded by $5.30 to settle at $86.63/bbl.

The number of parties unhappy with the low level of industry representation on President Obama’s new hydraulic fracturing (fracking) advisory panel continues to grow as answers are sought and questions surrounding the Department of Energy’s (DOE) motives arise.