Caused

Injection wells in Ohio handled more wastewater from oil and gas drilling in 2012, especially from out-of-state sources in the Marcellus and Utica shales, but they are on pace to handle less of the material in 2013.

A decision by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) that D&L Energy Inc. cannot keep its injection well permits and must properly dispose stored material has been upheld by the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission.

Given current commodity prices, natural gas wells drilled in the Marcellus Shale — wet or dry — compete favorably with marginal Bakken Shale oil wells, but that’s the only gas play in the U.S. onshore that today can compete with Bakken oil well economics, according to an analysis by Barclays Capital.

Williams Partners has begun taking stock of the damage at its Geismar, LA, olefins plant caused by an explosion and fire on June 13 that killed two workers and injured more than 70 others.

An explosion early Tuesday morning on the Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) pipeline in Washington Parish, LA, 80 miles north of New Orleans destroyed a mobile home and caused the evacuation of 55 area residents. Gas supplies moving on the west-to-east pipeline were rerouted, operator Energy Transfer Partners said. No injuries were reported

Authorities have charged D&L Energy Inc. CEO Ben Lupo with one count of violating the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) after allegedly ordering an employee to dump oilfield waste into a storm drain that empties into the Mahoning River near Youngstown, OH.

A group of environmental organizations has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 6 administrator alleging that politics and not science caused the agency to drop a water contamination case against Range Resources Corp. and calling for a resumption of legal action.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has permanently revoked the operating permits for two companies, D&L Energy Inc. and Hardrock Excavating LLC, after employees were seen dumping oilfield waste into a storm drain in Youngstown that empties into the Mahoning River.

“Human error” by a utility employee caused an explosion on the Columbia Gas Co. of Massachusetts system that rocked Springfield, MA, Friday night, damaging 42 homes and businesses and sending 18 people, mostly first responders, to area hospitals, said state Fire Marshall Stephen Coan and the Massachusetts’ Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Sunday. But the head of the company said the worker followed proper procedure.