Forced

West Virginia's oil and natural gas industry remains committed to getting legislation passed that would allow forced pooling in the Marcellus Shale and other shallow formations, according to remarks delivered before the state's Joint Standing Committee on Energy.

Forced back into action following the Thursday Independence Day Holiday, physical gas traders in quiet trading Friday for weekend and Monday delivery managed to push most price point averages higher by a few cents, except for in the Northeast and California. Coming off dollar-plus losses on Wednesday, a number of Marcellus Shale-related points reversed course Friday to gain 80 cents or more. California was the only area in the red, with multiple points dropping a nickel to 15 cents.

As industry and energy regulators again were forced to stay away from their offices in Calgary’s flooded downtown a state of emergency still prevailed Monday in the city and much of southern Alberta, according to government and industry sources.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. founder Aubrey McClendon, who was forced to retire as CEO on April 1, has leased office space in Oklahoma City and lured two executives to what appears to be the start of at least one new company.

A flash fire Thursday evening at a pig receiving station in Tyler County, WV, injured three people and forced Eureka Hunter Pipeline to shut in a portion of its pipeline system in the area, according to parent Magnum Hunter Resources Corp.

Appalachian midstream provider MarkWest Energy Partners LP and private equity fund The Energy and Minerals Group (EMG) have completed an amendment to give EMG a larger stake in their joint venture (JV) in the Utica Shale.

Weak natural gas prices forced Devon Energy Corp. to write down almost $900 million in the value of its assets in the fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City-based operator said Wednesday.

Weak natural gas prices forced Devon Energy Corp. to write down almost $900 million in the value of its assets in the fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City-based operator said Wednesday.

A small handful of cold, hard numbers tells why Canadian unconventional natural gas is forced to rely on elusive Asian exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to thaw out drilling prospects.