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A unit of Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. is buying an undivided 25% interest in the Barnett Shale assets of Quicksilver Resources Inc. for $485 million, marking a milestone for the debt-laden Fort Worth, TX-based producer, which has long sought a Barnett partner.

Gulfport Energy Corp. said Monday it has agreed to buy 30,000 net acres in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio for approximately $300 million, a transaction that would boost the company’s position in the play to about 137,000 gross acres (99,000 net).

During an earnings conference call last week, analysts peppered the management of Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. with questions about efforts to establish a joint venture (JV) in the Horn River Basin and take a partner in the Barnett Shale, but executives were tight-lipped, not wanting to disclose details of talks.

During an earnings conference call Tuesday, analysts peppered the management of Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. with questions about efforts to establish a joint venture (JV) in the Horn River Basin and take a partner in the Barnett Shale, but executives were tight-lipped, not wanting to disclose details of talks.

Australia’s Amadeus Energy Ltd. plans to acquire Fort Worth, TX-based Lonestar Resources Inc. — a player in the Eagle Ford, Bakken and Barnett shales — via the purchase of Lonestar’s holding company, Ecofin Energy Resources Plc of the United Kingdom.

Murphy Oil Corp.’s plans to spin off its downstream operations will allow it to focus more time and money on exploration and production (E&P) opportunities, including a big leasehold in the Eagle Ford Shale, executives said Tuesday.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Wednesday approved a “land-into-trust” application submitted by the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in western North Dakota to build the first U.S. refinery in decades — in the heart of the Bakken shale formation.

Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. provided an operational update on its recently completed well in the Delaware Basin in West Texas and the completion of an eight-well pad in the Horn River Basin in British Columbia (BC).

Prospects for lower prices for natural gas liquids (NGL) and natural gas production have contributed to deteriorating profitability at Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. and prompted a corporate credit rating downgrade by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P).