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ExxonMobil Corp., whose North American portfolio washes across eight million net acres, is scooping up more liquids-weighted land and has begun to shift some of its natural gas development to more oily plays, the company’s top guns told financial analysts on Thursday.

Natural gas and oil drilling in Ohio could create 65,000 jobs and add nearly $5 billion to state coffers by 2014, according to an industry-sponsored eight-month study that was issued last week.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Kern River Gas Transmission Co.’s application to construct 8.6 miles of eight-inch diameter pipeline lateral and a meter station to provide natural gas service to Molycorp Minerals LLC in San Bernadino County, CA. The Mountain Pass Lateral would deliver the gas necessary for Molycorp to generate electricity for its mining and processing operations. The Molycorp facility currently uses electricity from the local grid. The lateral would have a design capacity of 24,270 Dth/d, according to Kern River, which estimated the cost of the project at $15.7 million.

“This is a 2013 development. It’s not a 2012 development. The next year is about evaluation. It’s about getting your head around the rock,” said Michael Bodino with Global Hunter Securities LLC.

Price divergence in Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s Zone 4 in northeastern Pennsylvania is one of those things that gets worse before it gets better.

With eight stations under construction and siting identification work begun for 60 more, a national $150 million effort supported by Chesapeake Energy Corp. is on track to have a corridor of 150 natural gas fueling stations in place in the next few years, according to Andrew Littlefair, CEO of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., speaking on a second quarter earnings conference call that reported increased revenues, but a loss in quarter-over-quarter results.

Eight members of Congress have told President Obama that the United States’ national security interests are dependent on natural gas, and urged the president to support efforts to expand exploration, development and production, especially through hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Eight members of Congress have told President Obama that the United States’ national security interests are dependent on natural gas, and urged the president to support efforts to expand exploration, development and production, especially through hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Tulsa-based contract drilling company Helmerich & Payne Inc. said Tuesday it has agreements in place with eight U.S. exploration and production companies to build and operate 12 of its proprietary FlexRigs, which are to begin onshore operations in fiscal 2012.