Blame

With questions lingering about whether hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and the chemicals used in the process are to blame for contaminating the water supply of some Wyoming residents, Encana Corp. has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for “key technical data and information” about water wells re-tested near its natural gas development in Pavillion, WY, to enable the company to properly respond by an October deadline. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), however, issued two reports Wednesday that may fill in some of the blanks.

In an fierce debate about whether hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and the chemicals used in the process may be to blame for contaminating the water supply of some Wyoming residents, Encana Corp. is pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for “key technical data and information” about water wells re-tested near its natural gas development in Pavillion, WY, to enable the company to properly respond by an October deadline.

Most of the Dimock Township, PA, residents who filed a lawsuit against Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., alleging the company contaminated their water wells, have agreed to an undisclosed settlement, according to documents filed in federal court on Monday.

Blame it on the rain, or a lack thereof. Just days after the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) had restored all of the 17 water withdrawal permits it had temporarily suspended in mid-April, back-and-forth drought conditions in northeast Pennsylvania have forced the agency to re-suspend two permits.

Unfavorable federal energy policies are largely to blame for the continuing decline in oil and natural gas leasing, permitting and new drilling on western lands from peak activity in 2007-2008, according to a new report commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The decline in activity on western lands was first detected in 2009-2010 and has carried over into 2011.

Unfavorable federal energy policies are largely to blame for the continuing decline in oil and natural gas leasing, permitting and new drilling on western lands from peak activity in 2007-2008, according to a new report commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The decline in activity on western lands was first detected in 2009-2010 and has carried over into 2011.

Pointing the finger of blame squarely on the operator and regulators, federal safety officials at a meeting of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last Tuesday in Washington, DC, described last September’s fatal San Bruno, CA, natural gas transmission pipeline rupture and explosion as preventable and resulting from systemic “flawed” pipeline operations and regulatory oversight.

Devon Energy Corp. on Friday issued a disappointing production forecast through 2009, putting most of the blame on escalating costs in Western Canada, where 70% of its output is natural gas. The Oklahoma City-based independent said it is “significantly” reducing development of its conventional gas projects in Canada “until business conditions improve.”

Devon Energy Corp. on Friday issued a disappointing production forecast through 2009, putting most of the blame on escalating costs in Western Canada, where 70% of its output is natural gas. The Oklahoma City-based independent said it is “significantly” reducing development of its conventional gas projects in Canada “until business conditions improve.”