Fatter

The senior executives of Halcon Resources Corp. have a fatter checkbook than when they started Eagle Ford Shale pioneer Petrohawk Energy Corp. not so very long ago. Having sold that successful natural gas-focused venture, with Halcon they are targeting unconventional oil plays with a similar strategy and expecting similar success.

Michiganians won’t freeze in the dark this winter, and they’ll be sitting on fatter wallets thanks to lower gas prices, according to the latest annual “Michigan Energy Appraisal: Winter 2010-2011,” released by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).

Canadians are cheering on the tight “continental” natural gas market in growing numbers as gains owed to high sales volumes and prices — driven by expanding exports to the United States — spread and multiply. The seller’s market for gas is behind Alberta government projections of a stunning budget surplus in the range of C$10-$12 billion (US$6.8-$8.2 billion) for the fiscal year that ended March 31 — or about C$4,000 (US$2,750) for every man, woman and child living in the province. Virtually all the surplus is owed to oil and gas royalties, and the gas share of them is about 70%.