Enormous

Warmer-than-average temperatures are expected this winter in an enormous area stretching from Arkansas west through Arizona and north as far as the Canadian border, as well as the northern two-thirds of Alaska, according to forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last week heard oral arguments in a controversial mineral rights case that could have enormous implications over ownership rights in the Marcellus Shale.

Warmer-than-average temperatures are expected this winter in an enormous area stretching from Arkansas west through Arizona and north as far as the Canadian border, as well as the northern two-thirds of Alaska, according to forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments this week in a controversial mineral rights case that could have enormous implications over ownership rights in the Marcellus Shale.

A recent study that showed the percentage of wells in Pennsylvania with pollution events has declined, thanks at least in part to the state’s regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), contained “significant errors and distortions” that undermine its conclusions, according to an analysis released by the Public Accountability Initiative (PAI), a nonprofit research organization based in Buffalo, NY.

Although already under environmental appeal, Utah state officials issued a permit the last week in March to a Delaware-based company to a begin a large oil shale extraction project that eventually could cover up to 1,500 acres in the Uintah Basin. It could end up being one of the largest oil shale mining operations in the state.

Two counties in western Pennsylvania, which is in a red hot region of the Marcellus Shale, were among the top 10 in the nation for employment gains in large counties between March 2010 and March 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The cap-and-trade system for controlling greenhouse gas emissions that is being promoted by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats is a “dead end” and “an enormous threat to our economy,” according to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Taking a break from following crude’s recent mad dash higher, May natural gas futures on Friday shrugged off June crude’s enormous gains to explore slightly lower levels. Reaching a low of $7.830 on the session, prompt-month natural gas went on to settle at $7.981, down 8.3 cents on the day, but 84.6 cents higher than the previous week’s close, which occurred Thursday, April 13 in observation of Good Friday.