Canada

Nebraska environmental officials on Friday issued a final evaluation report regarding TransCanada Corp.’s alternative route for the norethern portion of its proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. The rerouting avoids environmentally sensitive areas in the Sand Hills region of the state, and carries 57 special conditions that TransCanada has agreed to fulfill.

Natural gas supplies from Nova Scotia are dwindling, but the province of New Brunswick could join the shale gas renaissance sweeping much of North America, provided its shales can be exploited without harming the environment, New Brunswick Energy and Mines Minister Craig Leonard said Wednesday.

The growing size and complexity of several liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects in western Canada is casting some doubts about their viability, according to the CEO of one of the similar proposed West Coast export projects in Oregon. Ultimately, this may work to the advantage of U.S. LNG export projects that are relatively simple in comparison.

Williams, whose natural gas midstream and pipeline infrastructure stretches from Canada into the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, is tweaking its earnings forecasts lower for the next two years based on conversations with customers that indicate activity will be slower in the short term.

Williams, whose natural gas midstream and pipeline infrastructure stretches from Canada into the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, is tweaking its earnings forecasts lower for the next two years based on conversations with customers that indicate activity will be slower in the short term.

Prospects of prolonged natural gas gluts have prompted a recommendation for Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) to start preparing for hearings on costs of shutting down an industry cornerstone: TransCanada Corp.’s Mainline from Alberta to Ontario, Quebec and border crossings into the U.S. Midwest and Northeast.

Prospects of prolonged natural gas gluts have prompted a recommendation for Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) to start preparing for hearings on costs of shutting down an industry cornerstone: TransCanada Corp.’s Mainline from Alberta to Ontario, Quebec and border crossings into the U.S. Midwest and Northeast.

Littleton, CO-based American Eagle Energy Corp. expanded its existing carry agreement to accelerate drilling. Last May the company entered into a six-well carry agreement; the amended agreement extends the terms of the financing to an additional four wells, all of which will be drilled in the Bakken or Three Forks zones of its Spyglass Project. “The expansion of our existing carry agreement…allows us to continue aggressively pursuing our development program within the Spyglass Property while minimizing our capital outlay,” said President Brad Colby. The expansion of the scope of the agreement allows American Eagle to contract a second drilling rig to begin drilling infill locations on the Spyglass property. American Eagle expects a second Nabors Drilling rig to arrive by the middle of September and anticipates drilling and completing a total of 12 gross wells (4.2 net) with the two rigs by the end of 2012, including all 10 wells covered by the amended carry agreement.

A competitive market for compressed natural gas (CNG) — chiefly as a new rival against oil products — has opened for business across most of Nova Scotia. And it’s Eastern Canada’s chief oil refiner, Irving Oil, that will be delivering the trucked gas to coastal fish processors, hospitals, universities and other large commercial users as early as next year.