Bighorn

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead told federal officials Thursday that his state’s Bighorn Basin can increase energy development and environmental protection — they are not mutually exclusive — but he cannot support any of the draft alternatives currently proposed. Mead offered comments on the federal Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) draft resource management plan (RMP) and draft environmental impact state (DEIS) for the basin.

The pace of development at Encana Corp. was hampered in 2010 by low natural gas prices, but farm-ins, partnerships and joint ventures (JV) similar to the $5.4 billion transaction with an affiliate of PetroChina International Ltd. will help the company double its production growth over the next five years, CEO Randy Eresman said Thursday.

Burlington Resources Inc. has completed and tested the fifthDeep Madison formation well, the Bighorn 6-27 at the Madden Fieldin central Wyoming. Burlington, headquartered in Houston, operatesthe well and holds a 49% working interest. The well reached a totaldepth of 25,855 feet in early January and now, Burlington intendsto move to a two-rig development drilling program in the secondquarter. BR currently operates four wells producing from the deepMadison formation, each capable of gross production in excess of 50MMcf/d. Current gross production is approximately 130 MMcf/d fromthe Madison formation, but production is constrained by processingcapacity at the Lost Cabin Gas Plant in Lysite, WY. The plant’sthird train, now under construction, is scheduled for completion inlate 2002, which will allow gross production to increase to a totalof 310 MMcf/d.