Chesapeake Energy Corp. has begun operating its 850,000 net acre leasehold in the Mississippian Lime jointly with China’s Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration Corp. after the duo completed a $1 billion-plus joint venture (JV) agreement.
Certainty
Articles from Certainty
Industry Briefs
Bipartisan legislation (HR 1900) introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) seeks to bring more certainty to the interstate natural gas pipeline permitting process, giving federal agencies up to 90 days after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues a certificate (one-time 30-day extension for unforeseen circumstances) to complete their work. The time line would apply to any federal agency charged with issuing a permit for an interstate gas project, including the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (right-of-way grant) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Endangered Species Act; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Clean Water Act); and the Environmental Protection Agency (emissions permit). Pipeline projects require as many as 10 permits. The time limit would codify existing regulations following the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), which were intended to expedite projects. A study this year by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America found that the percentage of federal authorizations for interstate pipes that were issued more than 90 days beyond FERC’s issuing environmental impact statements (EIS) or environmental assessments (EA) rose from 7.69% before EPAct became law to 28.05% after implementation (see NGI, Jan. 21). Federal authorizations granted 180 days or longer after FERC issued an EIS or EA rose from 3.42% to 19.51%. Cosponsors of the legislation are Reps. Jim Matheson (D-UT), Pete Olson (R-TX), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Bill Johnson (R-OH).
FERC’s Clark Believes States Are Best Equipped to Regulate Fracking
Tony Clark may have traded in his state regulator’s hat for a seat at FERC, but he has not changed his opinion that states are better equipped to oversee the regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) than the federal government.
LNG Export Consumer Impact Is Pennies Per MMBtu, Says Deloitte
Liquefaction and export of domestic U.S. gas is no longer a pipe dream but an eventual certainty given the abundance of supplies from shales and thirst for gas in other parts of the world, particularly in Asian markets, said speakers at Deloitte’s annual Oil & Gas Conference in Houston Thursday. True, there are export naysayers; a recent Deloitte study commissioned by BG Group addresses at least some of their concerns.
LNG Export Not Seen Lifting U.S. Prices Much
Liquefaction and export of domestic U.S. gas is no longer a pipe dream but an eventual certainty given the abundance of supplies from shales and thirst for gas in other parts of the world, particularly in Asian markets, said speakers at Deloitte’s annual Oil & Gas Conference in Houston Thursday. True, there are export naysayers; a recent Deloitte study commissioned by BG Group addresses at least some of their concerns.
IHS CERA: Shale Gas GHG Emissions ‘Significantly Overstated’
Estimates now used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and independent researchers to determine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from upstream shale gas production likely are “significantly overstated” because they are based on assumptions that don’t reflect current industry practices, according to IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates (IHS CERA).
Supreme Court Reaffirms Mobile-Sierra
The U.S. Supreme Court last Wednesday delivered more certainty to parties contracting in wholesale energy markets when it ruled in an 8-1 decision that the venerable Mobile-Sierra doctrine does in fact apply to noncontracting third parties as well as contracting entities. The ruling means third-party challengers to contracts would have to meet the higher “public interest” standard of Mobile-Sierra rather than a merely “just and reasonable” hurdle.
Supreme Court Reaffirms Mobile-Sierra Standard
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday delivered more certainty to parties contracting in wholesale energy markets when it ruled in an 8-1 decision that the venerable Mobile-Sierra doctrine does in fact apply to noncontracting third parties as well as contracting entities. The ruling means third-party challengers to contracts would have to meet the higher “public interest” standard of Mobile-Sierra rather than a merely “just and reasonable” hurdle.
Marketer Advises Buyers to Stick to Their ‘Philosophy’
In a market environment where the only certainty is that there is none, natural gas wholesale buying requires a philosophy that is constantly reviewed and reiterated to organizational leaders, said Val Trinkley, general manager of EnergyUSA, speaking at GasMart 2008 in Chicago Thursday. The energy marketer with NiSource conducted a workshop on “Natural Gas Risk Management — Developing a Strategy.”
Marketer Advises Buyers to Stick to Their ‘Philosophy’
In a market environment where the only certainty is that there is none, natural gas wholesale buying requires a philosophy that is constantly reviewed and reiterated to organizational leaders, said Val Trinkley, general manager of EnergyUSA, speaking at GasMart 2008 in Chicago Thursday. The energy marketer with NiSource conducted a workshop on “Natural Gas Risk Management — Developing a Strategy.”