Data

Industry investment in infrastructure and more emphasis on infill developmental wells are helping to contain North Dakota’s wellhead flaring of natural gas in the oil/liquids-rich Bakken Shale formation, a state official said.

Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CDT Monday, the Bureau of Safety Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) estimated that about 6.11% (274.85 MMcf/d) of current natural gas production, and 7.98% (110,144 b/d) of oil output in the GOM was shut in.

Natural gas production from the Lower 48 states during May was essentially unchanged from April, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, while consumption during the month set a record.

Pundits and analysts alike watching the developments among domestic fossil fuels in the United States have never been busier. New data and extrapolations pop up almost daily, contributing to what is becoming a rich stew of trends and counter-trends. Last week was no exception, with a “comeback” for coal in the power generation space being forecast as coming perhaps as early as next year, and the head of one of the nation’s largest fleets of gas-fired generation plants predicting coal-fired generation plant retirements will accelerate, not recede.

The unconventional oil and gas rig count sagged in the week ending Aug. 17, with numbers flat or declining in 10 of the nation’s 13 unconventional plays compared with the week before, but the liquids-rich Niobrara-Denver Julesburg (DJ) Basin continues to soar, according to NGI’s Shale Daily Unconventional Rig Count.

The latest records year-to-date at Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) underscore reports from the industry players that drilling activity is on the upswing in the Powder River Niobrara, interim WOGCC Director Bob King told NGI’s Shale Daily on Wednesday.

Natural gas production from the Lower 48 states during May was essentially unchanged from April, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, while consumption during the month set a record.

Controversial former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Administrator Al Armendariz left his job at the end of April, but his fingerprints are on an agency rule calling for stricter ozone standards that would affect Barnett Shale natural gas interests in Wise County, TX, energy companies and industry groups said.

EQT Corp. has launched a pilot program to begin converting its Marcellus Shale drilling rigs from diesel-powered equipment to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Pittsburgh-based company said Thursday.