In what is considered a symbolic gesture, Rochester, NY’s city council voted unanimously on Tuesday to extend by one year a moratorium on natural gas exploration and extraction activities, and in particular, hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
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Articles from Depth
Consol Posts Loss, But Marcellus Becoming More Important
Despite disappointing earnings at Consol Energy Inc. during the first quarter, the company reported 10.7 Bcfe of production in the Marcellus Shale, a 60% increase that signaled that the play is becoming increasingly important for the coal and natural gas producer.
ConocoPhillips San Juan Program Squeezed by Low NatGas Prices
ConocoPhillips, the largest operator in the San Juan Basin, is temporarily suspending its natural gas drilling in the Four Corners region because of low gas prices, a spokesman said Thursday. The news comes on the heels of reports by energy analysts that the gas rig count may only reach 450 this year and not strengthen into 2014.
Analysts See U.S. Oil Rig Count Drifting Lower As Gas Slowly Recovers
The U.S. oil rig count will continue to “drift slowly lower” in 2013 and 2014 in part because of technology and in part to balance the market, according to an updated analysis by Raymond James & Associates Inc.
Comstock Keeping Haynesville Powder Dry
The dry gas Haynesville Shale will have its day again — when gas prices have a $5 handle — and Comstock Resources Inc. will be ready, management of the Frisco, TX-based producer told financial analysts Tuesday.
Ohio’s Wayne National Forest Gets OK for Unconventional Drilling
The supervisor of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (WNF) on Monday said an in-depth study has proved that there is no need to amend the forest’s six-year-old land and resource management plan nor to supplement the environmental impact statement (EIS) to address possible surface impacts from unconventional drilling.
Industry Briefs
EagleClaw Midstream Services LLC, which provides natural gas and crude oil producers in the Permian Basin with gathering, compression, treating, processing and transportation services, has secured a $100 million equity commitment from EnCap Flatrock Midstream of San Antonio (see Shale Daily, Aug. 2). The company, headquartered in Midland, TX, is pursuing greenfield and acquisition opportunities in the region. EagleClaw is led by President Robert Milam, COO Curtis Clark and Executive Vice President of Commercial Development Charles S. Kuss. “While it has been one of the most prolific basins in North America for a long time, there has been a dramatic resurgence over the past year or two, and it’s more active than ever before,” Milam said of the Permian. “There are more than 500 rigs at work in the area, and production is reaching new highs.”
Scientist: Quakes from Injection Wells Can Be Avoided
Earthquakes such as the one that forced a wastewater disposal well in Youngstown, OH, to be closed at the beginning of the year can be avoided if oil, natural gas and service companies are more knowledgeable of the local and regional geology.
Wastewater Well Operator D&L Energy To Fund Ohio Quake Study
The Ohio company that owns a wastewater disposal well in Youngstown shut down by state regulators for allegedly triggering a series of earthquakes will pay for a study to determine the cause of the seismic activity.
Louisiana Touts Tuscaloosa Results
Recent production test results from the first two horizontal wells completed in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in Louisiana have been encouraging and there is likely more good news to come, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) secretary.