electricity

North Dakota officials reported Tuesday that the state again set all-time production records in August, hitting 1 Bcf/d for natural gas and 911,000 b/d of crude oil production. Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms predicted the state would soon pass the 1 million b/d milestone.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP) Tuesday got the go-ahead from FERC to place into service three pipeline loops associated with its Northeast Upgrade Project, which will carry an additional 636,000 Dth/d of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale to Northeast markets.

The gathering and processing segment of the natural gas supply chain will be the focus of a study of methane emissions about to be undertaken by researchers at Colorado State University (CSU). It is one component of a larger effort to study methane emissions associated with the natural gas industry.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to consider whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the power to require greenhouse gas (GHG) permits for big stationary pollution sources, including power plants, factories and refineries.

Connecticut business interests have registered their support for an Algonquin Gas Transmission expansion project to carry an additional 342,000 Dth/d of gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales through New York and into southern New England.

Royal Dutch Shell plc won’t be producing nearly as much natural gas from North American unconventionals by 2017 as anticipated, outgoing CEO Peter Voser said Tuesday.

President Obamahas accused Republicans of being responsible for restricting oil and natural gas production on federal lands, rather than Democrats, during the government shutdown (seeNGI,Oct. 7). “You know, the Republicans say they’re very concerned about drilling,” the president said at a news briefing. “They say Obama’s been restricting oil [and gas] production, despite the fact that…production is at its highest levels it has been in years and is continuing to zoom up. They say, you know, the Democrats are holding back oil production in this country.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources CommitteeRepublicans quickly fired back. “Forgive us for thinking it slightly insincere of the president to suddenly claim concern about federal oil and natural gas permitting.” The shutdown, which went into effect on Oct. 1, has halted theInteriorDepartment’s processing of onshore permitting and slowed processing for offshore drilling. “So why would the Republicans say to the folks who are interested in drilling for oil, sorry, we can’t let those things be processed…That doesn’t make sense,” Obama said.

The stars are aligning for “much improved” natural gas prices next year and beyond, said First Energy Capital’s Martin King, vice president for institutional research, and it’s no time for complacent thinking.

The Lone Star State’s Rainy Day Fund purse has grown fat from oil and gas tax revenues, and that’s expected to continue as Texas drillers drive production to new heights, according to the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA).