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The industry-led Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) has canceled a study underway by Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) about natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), following criticism that previous research had a pro-drilling slant.

The decrease in drilling expected in the Marcellus Shale this year could have an unexpected consequence: reducing the amount of flowback water that operators reuse at well sites.

Producing natural gas in North America today isn’t a particularly lucrative venture, but for proponents of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), particularly from Western Canada, the times couldn’t be better.

Producing natural gas in North America today isn’t a particularly lucrative venture, but for proponents of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), particularly from Western Canada, the times couldn’t be better.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. and GSI Environmental Inc. are questioning a Duke University study that found a link between hydraulic fracturing and increased cases of gas migration in northeastern Pennsylvania.

July futures recovered from an opening loss but still couldn’t manage to make it into positive territory Wednesday. Bulls and bears seem almost evenly divided, but short-term traders did note a return of commercial buying interest. At the close July had eased 0.4 cent to $4.577 and August fell 0.2 cent to $4.611. July crude oil tumbled $4.56 to $94.81/bbl.

March natural gas futures Thursday took the plunge below the psychologically important $4 support level and couldn’t recover, possibly dooming the market to a prolonged period of sub-$4 prices.

Range Resources Corp. came away from its deposition last week of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staffer — who investigated alleged contamination of North Texas water wells by the company — touting more than a dozen revelations that the company says support its claim of innocence. And Range is going back to get more information from additional depositions of EPA officials.

For a regional market that couldn’t seem to buy a price break all week, the Rockies came roaring back Friday with triple-digit spikes. That was in sharp contrast to falling prices at virtually all other points as above-normal temperatures were expected to be in place by the end of the weekend in nearly all of the U.S. except its northwest corner. The weekend retreat of industrial load was a minor bearish factor.