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The natural gas industry is more bullish about the Utica Shale than ever before, but several geologists remain skeptical until more data is publicly available about the play.

NGI’s Unconventional Rig Count edged up ever so slightly for the week ending July 22, rising to 987 rigs from 984 the previous week. Despite the pedestrian weekly advance, the current unconventional rig count remains a full 3% higher than the 961 rigs that were at work one month ago.

Energy efficiency continues to make a dent in the national energy markets, with more states than ever formally measuring the annual impact of utility driven energy savings programs, according to two reports from the independent nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Twenty-four states have implemented energy efficiency resource standards (EERS) in the past six years, following the lead of Texas and Vermont, and 13 of the 19 states with EERS policies in place for two years or longer achieved 100% or more of their goals; three states reached 90%; and the remaining three achieved 80%, according to ACEEE’s first report, “Energy Efficiency Resource Standards: A Progress Report on State Energy Saving Targets.” The second report documents how utilities are planning to increase their efforts to hit these higher energy saving levels. Six states with reportedly the largest and most successful efficiency programs — California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York and Vermont — are highlighted in some detail in terms of their ongoing and planned programs. Another six states among the next tier are also highlighted — Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

While natural gas demand already is poised to take a hit, ever-growing regional wind power supplies may be the next domino to fall in the face of excess hydroelectric supplies in the Pacific Northwest. The region’s key power marketer/transporter, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), however, is going to delay as long as it can a proposal to begin curtailing large chunks of wind power, officials said last Wednesday.

While natural gas demand already is poised to take a hit, ever-growing regional wind power supplies may be the next domino to fall in the face of excess hydroelectric supplies in the Pacific Northwest. The region’s key power marketer/transporter, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), however, is going to delay as long as it can a proposal to begin curtailing large chunks of wind power, officials said Wednesday.

Natural gas has begun flowing through a subsea pipeline offshore Qatar into Pearl GTL, the largest gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant ever built, Royal Dutch Shell plc said last week.

Natural gas has begun flowing through a subsea pipeline offshore Qatar into Pearl GTL, the largest gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant ever built, Royal Dutch Shell plc said Wednesday.

At the dawn of the shale age, “location, location, location” matters as much to natural gas storage projects as it ever did. But robust supplies from shales have helped deflate the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) forward curve, leaving storage developers to ask, “Where did my spread go?”

At the dawn of the shale age, “location, location, location” matters as much to natural gas storage projects as it ever did. But robust supplies from shales have helped deflate the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) forward curve, leaving storage developers to ask, “Where did my spread go?”