Emphasis

In a public debate on how much use and emphasis there should be on drilling and in particular the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper last week called natural gas the best transition for his state eventually to move to more reliance on efficiency and renewable energy programs.

In a public debate on how much use and emphasis there should be on oil/natural gas and particularly hydraulic fracturing (fracking), Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday called natural gas the best transition for his state eventually to move to more reliance on efficiency and renewable energy programs.

There could be increased bilateral cooperation between the United States and Mexico in several energy sectors, including development of the Eagle Ford Shale south of the border, depending on developments in Mexico’s latest reform government, according to an expert on Mexican policy.

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.

With an emphasis on oil over natural gas, Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) continued to shatter company production records in barrels of oil equivalent (boe) globally and domestically, Oxy senior executives said Thursday. At 755,000 boe Oxy’s daily oil/gas production was the highest in its history; and its U.S. totals of 455,000 boe set a record for the sixth straight quarter.

Denver-based Bill Barrett Corp. last year grew reserves and production as it transitioned to a greater emphasis on oil and natural gas liquids over dry natural gas given weak prices for the latter, CEO Fred Barrett said Tuesday.

Water services company Heckmann Corp. reiterated its emphasis on serving shale gas and oil developers in the United States in announcing the divestment of China Water & Drinks Inc. through the sale of nine of its 25 Chinese legal entities to Pacific Water & Drinks (HK) Group Ltd. (PWD). The deal closed Sept. 30, and Heckmann will no longer have business exposure in China except through its equity holding in PWD. “With our positive view of our current core water business and the growth opportunities in the United States, we are pleased to put the China experience behind us,” said CEO Richard J. Heckmann. “We now have almost 1,100 employees in the U.S., up from fewer than 30 a year ago. We believe that the water business as it relates to shale gas and shale oil production will continue to drive our growth. In addition, the customer reaction to our conversion to LNG [liquefied natural gas] powered vehicles [see Shale Daily, Aug. 23], which we are now putting in service, has been very positive.”

Industry reaction to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood’s call Monday for more attention to pipeline safety was swift, indicating that the emphasis on pipeline integrity management promises to grow following several pipeline incidents in the past six months. The industry basically has been on its toes since the Sept. 9 pipeline rupture in San Bruno, CA.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s (NPCC) sixth power plan adds new emphasis to the alternative of more direct use of natural gas for space and water heating as opposed to added gas-fired electric generation. An added consideration for the gas conversion option is climate change, the NPCC’s latest report said.