Concern

Uncertainty about natural gas and crude oil prices remains the No. 1 concern of upstream U.S. energy companies for the second year in a row, according to Grant Thornton LLP.

With the “right kind of leadership” and regulatory environment, the United States could be just 10 years from achieving energy independence, Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s nonexecutive Chairman Archie Dunham said Friday.

Ohio government officials and industry experts met for a shale symposium hosted by law firm BakerHostetler LLP on Thursday, offering their opinions of what the challenges will be in the Utica Shale as the play develops.

Safety remains the top concern for any energy company’s success, the former chief of Royal Dutch Shell plc told a Houston audience last month.

Safety remains the top concern for any energy company’s success, the former chief of Royal Dutch Shell plc told a Houston audience last week.

Legislation in Colorado that would have imposed higher penalties for oil and natural gas operators that violated state regulations — supported by the governor and the energy industry — went down in defeat Wednesday, the final day of the session.

The House Natural Resources Committee sent a letter to the Interior Department Thursday expressing concern about the scientific integrity of and the imposition of what it said were arbitrary deadlines on a decision to potentially list the sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Operators in Pennsylvania spud fewer Marcellus Shale gas wells last month than the year before, shifted their focus to counties in wetter areas of the play and saw turnover at the top in terms of most wells spud, data from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shows.

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) say there has been a “remarkable” increase in the number of earthquakes in the Midcontinent region, and believe the seismic activity is more than likely attributable to injection wells that handle wastewater from oil and gas drilling.