Expect

A newly formed organization that represents about 2,000 New York property owners in Tioga County has signed a preliminary agreement with developers to stimulate unconventional natural gas wells using waterless hydraulic fracturing (fracking) that may bypass the state’s drilling moratorium.

The Maryland House of Delegates passed two Marcellus Shale regulatory bills on Saturday, adding clarity to how lawmakers expect the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to regulate oil and natural gas operators, as well as several aspects of their drilling activities.

FERC Thursday approved Industrial Shippers’ request for Northern Natural Gas to revise its tariff to allow for partial crediting of reservation charges during force majeure or unplanned outages.

Nexen Inc. has made good on a promise to find a joint venture (JV) partner by the end of this year for its extensive shale acreage in northeastern British Columbia (BC) after agreeing to sell a 40% stake for C$700 million to a consortium led by Japan’s Inpex Corp.

As the natural gas industry pushes for a standardized drilling ordinance in Pennsylvania, it doesn’t expect the regulations to be easy, just predictable, a pair of executives told an audience in Pittsburgh last Wednesday.

As the natural gas industry pushes for a standardized drilling ordinance in Pennsylvania, it doesn’t expect the regulations to be easy, just predictable, a pair of executives told an audience in Pittsburgh.

Despite the big players and big money pouring into the Utica and Point Pleasant Shales of Ohio over the past 90 days, don’t expect the play to boom next year, a diverse panel told attendees at Hart Energy’s 2011 DUG (Developing Unconventional Gas) East conference in Pittsburgh last Thursday.

The federal government will ask a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, which he filed to compel a full environmental review of proposed regulations for Marcellus Shale development in the Delaware River Basin.

August natural gas futures drifted lower Monday as traders expect a rangebound market. At the closing bell August futures had fallen 1.3 cents to $4.386 and September had shed 1.5 cents to $4.355. September crude oil retreated 67 cents to $99.20/bbl.