Final

A final third-party report on the characteristics of light, sweet oil from the Bakken/Three Forks region again shows that the supplies from North Dakota are not more volatile or flammable than other crude oils.

Researchers at Ohio State University (OSU) want to set up a functioning oil and gas well at the school’s Eastern Agricultural Station in Noble County, OH, to study the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Apache Corp., which now claims to be the second biggest North American onshore operator, reported a 45% increase in total liquids output year/year in the United States and Canada, driven by a revamped drilling program in the legacy Permian and Anadarko basins.

As a bill to ban actively engaged oil and natural gas representatives from serving on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) neared a final vote in the state senate Monday or Tuesday, a coalition of business and citizens groups commended the more than 120 local elected officials who have publicly supported the governor’s pursuit of reasonable oil and gas solutions.

Royale Energy Inc. said Wednesday it struck a $43 million joint venture (JV) agreement with an unnamed company to fund exploration costs on its Alaska North Slope acreage.

An attorney representing D&L Energy Inc. says the company will vigorously pursue its appeal before the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission, calling the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) decision to shut down the company “a gross violation of due process.”

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Friday announced the department’s final plan for encouraging research, development and demonstration (RD&D) of oil shale and tar sands resources on more than 800,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in three western states.

A round of public forums on California’s discussion draft regulations on hydraulic fracturing have begun in Los Angeles and will continue with a second workshop scheduled to be held March 13 in Bakersfield, CA, by the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources. Jason Marshall, chief deputy director of the state’s Department of Conservation, said “interesting and helpful comments” were obtained at the Los Angeles session Feb. 19. Marshall said the goal is have new regulations in place in the next 12-18 months. In the upcoming workshop, the discussion draft rules will be broken into seven parts, with four parts discussed in morning sessions and three in the afternoon. The final session will allow for public comments and questions. A third workshop will be held in Sacramento later this year.

Over some industry opposition, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) Monday approved final setback requirements for oil and natural gas wells. Industry representatives criticized the action as “going too far,” and potentially hurting the state’s economy.