Case

The New York State Assembly’s passage of a bill calling for a two-year moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) in the state could divide the fragile bipartisan coalition that controls the Senate.

ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance on Tuesday called on his colleagues to make the case for “smart” regulations and government collaboration to ensure the shale revolution is not suppressed by uninformed critics.

A Michigan landowner has filed a lawsuit alleging that Chesapeake Energy Corp., Encana Corp. and a state-based operator conspired to rig a state oil and gas leasehold auction in 2010.

Unlike natural gas, oil can be carried in a bucket — or in a rail car — as is increasingly the case in the Bakken Shale, for instance, where the drill bit has gotten ahead of the pipeline, way ahead of the pipeline, in offering oil producers a route to market.

In a case with a significant potential impact in several states, an Ohio appeals court on Tuesday ruled that a municipality in Summit County exceeded its authority when it ordered a Utica Shale driller to stop operations, dealing a blow to local ordinances, or “home rule” laws.

In a case that carries tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars of impact, a North Dakota District Court judge rendered the first opinion in a dispute over who is entitled to subsurface mineral rights in the “shore zone” along two major navigable waterways in the state. Ultimately, the issue will need to be resolved by the state Supreme Court, state officials said.

A consulting firm’s global market review makes a case for a Canadian open door policy, allowing foreign firms to have an equity share in developing Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects and the resources that supply them.

A consulting firm’s global market review makes a case for a Canadian open door policy, allowing foreign firms to have an equity share in developing Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects and the resources that supply them.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) settled a Clean Water Act (CWA) case for wetlands violations, requiring PDC Mountaineer (PDCM) to pay a penalty of $177,500 to resolve violations involving construction activities at Marcellus Shale gas extraction facilities in northern West Virginia. According to EPA, Bridgeport, WV-based PDCM failed to apply for necessary permits to discharge fill materials into wetlands or streams in Harrison County, WV. PDCM, which also agreed to restore and/or complete mitigation projects at four sites in the state pursuant to separate CWA orders, did not admit to violating the CWA. Earlier this month, PDC Energy reported that PDCM, a joint venture of PDC and Lime Rock Partners V LP, completed three horizontal Marcellus wells since mid-September. The wells were expected to be turned-in-line by year’s end, once a permit for a gathering line river crossing is received, PDC said.