Costs

Prices, costs and new well productivity in the U.S. onshore and Gulf of Mexico changed significantly over the past decade as operators improved their techniques, efficiencies that likely will get better in the years ahead, according to a study prepared for the Energy Information Administration.

Brutal could describe the earnings results for the exploration sector in the final three months of 2015, but could sharp reductions in capital expenditures (capex) have set in motion a much tighter production supply, with improved pricing sooner than later? It’s not likely before the end of this year because a confluence of factors, analysts said.

Royal Dutch Shell plc recorded $7.9 billion in charges for the third quarter after writing off $2.6 billion in abandonment costs for its Alaska offshore venture, $2 billion to cease plans for an oilsands project in Canada and $2.7 billion for the value of its global natural gas and oil portfolio. If and when prices rise, the United States is not at the “top of our list..to immediately spend more money on,” the CFO said.

BP plc is running 12 rigs in the U.S. onshore today, more than at any time since 2012, and the decision to restart development in some neglected basins has begun to show material improvement, CEO Bob Dudley said Tuesday.

ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. has asked a federal court in Pennsylvania to dismiss what could be a class action lawsuit filed against it for deducting post-production costs from royalty payments in the state.

The natural gas industry would be hit with as much as $420 million in costs in 2025 if proposals issued Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cut methane emissions are adopted, but it would be “manageable,” and U.S. production levels aren’t likely to be impacted by the EPA rules, according to analysts.

The financial resources website WalletHub has found significant disparities when it comes to monthly energy costs from state-to-state in a ranking that shows lower electricity or natural gas prices don’t necessarily mean lower costs for consumers.

Another lawsuit has been filed in Pennsylvania to recover post-production costs deducted from lessor’s royalty payments, this time against ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Inc.

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled against the Obama administration's plans to limit mercury and other toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants on the grounds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) failed to adequately consider the costs to industry.