Between

Bluewater Gas Storage has applied to FERC for authorization to construct and operate a 300 MMcf/d pipeline to maintain the U.S. portion of a connection between its facilities in St. Clair County, MI, and an existing pipeline in St. Clair Township, Ontario.

The cash- and employee-strapped Colorado state government is battling a growing oil and gas drilling permit backlog created by a combination of a 70% jump in applications between 2007 and 2010 and the recession, which shrank state government. However, oil and gas industry representatives are praising state officials for attempting to address the problem.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will perform water sampling at about 61 homes in Dimock — the small Susquehanna County, PA, township where some state officials believe hydraulic fracturing (fracking) may have contaminated water wells — “to further assess whether any residents are being exposed to hazardous substances that cause health concerns,” EPA said.

As tensions between Iran and the western world increase, the country’s threat to shut down the Strait of Hormuz weighs increasingly on energy markets. While most of the attention has focused on what a closure would mean for oil transport, analysts at Raymond James & Associates Inc. said last week on a percentage basis, the implications would be greater for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments.

As tensions between Iran and the western world increase, the country’s threat to shut down the Strait of Hormuz weighs increasingly on energy markets. While most of the attention has focused on what a closure would mean for oil transport, analysts at Raymond James & Associates Inc. said Monday on a percentage basis, the implications would be greater for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments.

January natural gas fell slightly at expiration Wednesday as traders see the market in a balancing act between holding technical support and withstanding a storage surplus that is not only wide, but continuing to increase. By the close January shed 2.8 cents to $3.084 and February eased 2.9 cents to $3.121. February crude oil fell $1.98 to $99.36/bbl.

January natural gas managed a small gain Wednesday as traders saw an ongoing tussle between algorithmic traders taking profits on short positions matched up against a cadre of willing sellers. At the close January natural gas had risen 2.7 cents to $3.155 and February had gained 2.8 cents to $3.198. February crude oil gained $1.43 to $98.67/bbl.

With only a few days left before the Pennsylvania General Assembly recesses for the year, some groups are calling on lawmakers to pass an impact fee on Marcellus Shale development now, while others are criticizing the bills currently on the table.

Pennsylvania researchers have corrected a recent study that suggested increased bromide levels in private water wells after drilling or hydraulic fracturing occurred nearby.