Believe

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) say there has been a “remarkable” increase in the number of earthquakes in the Midcontinent region, and believe the seismic activity is more than likely attributable to injection wells that handle wastewater from oil and gas drilling.

“The more people think things are going to stay the same, the more surprising it will be when they change,” might be an apt revision of an old proverb for today’s shale gas industry.

Switching from coal- to gas-fired power generation has been more modest than many market watchers believe due to a variety of factors that distort the picture; however, in the years ahead, gas will continue to gain share in the power generation market as more gas-fired plants are built, according to an analysis by FBR Capital Markets.

Switching from coal- to gas-fired power generation has been more modest than many market watchers believe due to a variety of factors that distort the picture; however, in the years ahead, gas will continue to gain share in the power generation market as more gas-fired plants are built, according to an analysis by FBR Capital Markets.

Chesapeake Energy has revealed that it is cooperating with a grand jury proceeding and an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into the company’s Clean Water Act (CWA) compliance at certain sites in West Virginia.

A year-old, privately held California micro exploration and production (E&P) company founded by former senior executives from a predecessor Chevron Corp. company (Texaco), Pacific Energy Development Corp. (PEDCO), plans to merge with publicly held Houston-based energy services firm Blast Energy Services to form a new publicly held company headed by PEDCO CEO Frank Ingriselli.

A report by an economics professor at Ohio State University says shale gas development in eastern Ohio will generate jobs, but only a fraction of the total projected by the industry.

Although the dogs are still barking in Pennsylvania, the caravan for imposing a fee on natural gas drillers in the most active shale gas state appears to be moving on.

Energy experts believe U.S. natural gas consumption will be 5-10% lower and electric power consumption will be 5-15% lower in 2020 than they would have been without energy efficiency programs, according to the results of a survey released Monday by The Brattle Group.