Buffalo

President Obama is scheduled to make a two-day trip across New York and Pennsylvania later this week, traversing two states that so far have taken very divergent paths over Marcellus Shale development.

A group of about 89 landowners in western New York state filed a lawsuit in a U.S. bankruptcy court against Norse Energy Corp. USA on Friday after the company declared a force majeure and extended its oil and gas leases.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it agrees with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) over not listing a nearly 100-mile section of the main stem of the Susquehanna River at the foot of the Marcellus Shale as an impaired waterway, despite concerns over the health of the river’s smallmouth bass.

A Siena College Research Institute poll released Tuesday shows New Yorkers are still almost evenly split on the issue of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), but it contains some surprising numbers concerning where the practice is generating support and opposition.

Shale and other unconventional resource plays are getting their own information clearinghouse at the University at Buffalo (UB) College of Arts and Sciences geology department

FERC Wednesday issued a favorable environmental assessment (EA) of National Fuel Gas Supply Corp.’s Line N 2012 expansion project that would increase the takeaway capacity from the Marcellus Shale basin to serve Northeast markets.

Thousands of residents in Buffalo, MN, were without natural gas service Thursday after problems with repair and maintenance work on CenterPoint Energy’s utility gas lines. Officials said it could be two days before the service is restored, the Associated Press reported. CenterPoint representatives did not respond to calls from NGI Thursday afternoon. About 200 CenterPoint Energy crews were working to restore the service, preparing to go to each home to turn gas meters back on and help relight pilot lights, local police told the Associated Press. About 5,500 residents were affected. City officials said the gas could be out for 48 hours or more, which is a concern because snow is in the forecast and overnight lows Thursday, Friday and Saturday are expected to be in the mid 20s. Plans were being prepared to house residents, particularly those in extended care facilities, who might need a warm location for the night.

National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. in Buffalo, NY, responding to FERC’s request for comments on reporting of natural gas and power prices to index developers, said it would like to see some of the information the Commission has collected in its two surveys of industry sales/purchasing and reporting practices (PL03-3).

Buffalo, NY-based National Fuel Gas (NFG) is currently holding an open season for long-term firm transportation capacity from Empire State Pipeline at Pendleton, NY. The solicitation, which began on Dec. 20, ends at 3 p.m. EST on Dec. 30.