Considered

Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) said he supports exporting surplus Marcellus Shale gas to China and other countries that do not have free trade agreements with the U.S., and also backs the concept of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a port in Maryland.

FERC has approved Trunkline Gas Co. LLC’s proposal to modify a portion of its existing South Texas System to allow the bidirectional transportation of liquids-rich natural gas from the Eagle Ford Shale play in South Texas.

A bill being considered by the Alaska House of Representatives, which would create a rebuttable presumption that TransCanada’s natural gas pipeline project is uneconomic because it failed to garner sufficient firm transportation commitments during its first open season, amounts to a unilateral changing of the rules by the state and jeopardizes the project — and possibly future gasline projects — according to TransCanada Corp. Vice President Tony Palmer.

A bill being considered by the Alaska House of Representatives, which would create a rebuttable presumption that TransCanada’s natural gas pipeline project is uneconomic because it failed to garner sufficient firm transportation commitments during its first open season, amounts to a unilateral changing of the rules by the state and jeopardizes the project — and possibly future gasline projects — according to TransCanada Corp. Vice President Tony Palmer.

Halliburton Co.’s complex drilling technology, considered key in tapping into shale gas and oil basins, helped the oilfield services company to more than double earnings in the final quarter of 2010 from a year earlier, CEO Dave Lesar said Monday.

A recent one-day retest of an Upper Montney Shale well in northeast British Columbia flowed at a rate of 8.9 MMcf/d, which further confirms a “large in-gas resource” at the Peach River Arch area, junior explorer Canada Energy Partners Inc. (CEP) said Monday.

Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) has filed several natural gas-related bills to potentially be considered during the 82nd session of the Texas Legislature, which begins Jan. 11.

With less than a month remaining before an election that could change the makeup of both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the state’s Republican-controlled Senate is preparing to take up legislation (SB 1155) approved last week by the Democratic-controlled House that would impose a 39 cents/Mcf (about 10%) severance tax on natural gas drilling in the state.

First Energy Capital analyst Martin King — who is considered to be one of the best when it comes to anticipating movements in the North American natural gas market — has shifted to a much more bearish price stance for North American gas prices in the short, medium and long term compared to his previous price forecasts.