Chesapeake

Chesapeake Energy Corp. on Monday advanced plans to jettison its oilfield services unit, first by creating a corporation that eventually…

Chesapeake Energy Corp. improperly deducted drilling expenses from Barnett Shale natural gas royalty payments and violated some terms of a lease agreement, a Texas appeals court has affirmed.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. and the U.S. arm of Encana Corp. on Wednesday were formally charged by Michigan officials for allegedly collaborating in 2010 to avoid bidding against each other in state oil and natural gas lease sale.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Encana Corp. representatives are scheduled to be arraigned in a Michigan county district court on March 19 after the companies were formally charged Wednesday for allegedly participating in a criminal conspiracy in 2010 to avoid bidding against each other in a state oil and natural gas auction.

The days of freely spending money at Chesapeake Energy Corp. are through as capital discipline takes over from wheeling and dealing, CEO Doug Lawler said Thursday.

In one of the largest fees ever assessed by the federal government for violating the Clean Water Act, both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Thursday that Chesapeake Appalachia LLC, a subsidiary of onshore oil and gas giant Chesapeake Energy, would pay a civil penalty of $3.2 million for violations that occurred in West Virginia.

A report released earlier this month that details activity in Ohio’s Utica Shale play underscores the rapid rate at which midstream companies are working to catch-up with exploration and production companies that have a backlog of wells shut-in and waiting to come online.

American Energy Partners LP, formed earlier this year by Aubrey K. McClendon, has hired Jeff Fisher, 53, as COO. Fisher was executive vice president of production for Chesapeake Energy Corp. until he was fired in August (see Daily GPI, Aug. 14). A 10-year Chesapeake employee, Fisher was appointed operations manager in 2003 and served as vice president, Operations for the Southern Division from 2005-2006. In 2012, Fisher was appointed senior vice president of production and was then promoted to oversee all operations. Fisher oversaw an operations team with more than 2,000 employees, 23,000 operated wells and 40,000 total properties. He also supervised more than 12,000 well completions. American Energy Partners is headquartered in Oklahoma City.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. disclosed in a filing late Wednesday that it has received subpoenas and demands for various documents in connection with an investigation launched last year regarding a Michigan leasehold sale.