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Private capital firm TPG Capital is ponying up $1 billion to fund a new venture focused on acquiring and operating conventional natural gas producing properties in North America.

Pennsylvania’s potential adoption of a statewide impact fee on natural gas wells is poised to take another large step forward Wednesday (Oct. 26) when the state’s Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill (SB) 1100.

Antero Resources has acquired from CONSOL Energy a 7% overriding royalty interest in approximately 115,647 net acres in the Marcellus Shale in southwestern Pennsylvania and north central West Virginia for $193 million, the companies said Monday. The deal closed Sept. 21 with an effective date of July 1, 2011.

Cheniere Energy Partners LP said it expects to net about $60 million in public offerings, some of which would be used to fund development costs of its proposed addition of liquefaction capacity to the Sabine Pass LNG (liquefied natural gas) import terminal in Cameron Parish, LA. However, in order to advance the project still needs contracted customers.

QR Energy LP has agreed to pay $577 million to acquire oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin, Ark-La-Tex and Midcontinent from its sponsor, Quantum Resources Fund (QRF), the Houston-based upstream master limited partnership said Monday.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set aside $12.4 million to help fund 11 research projects designed to help find ways to extract more energy from unconventional oil and gas resources while reducing environmental risks.

SM Energy Co. has agreed to sell its Marcellus Shale assets in Pennsylvania, including its entire 42,000-acre leasehold and associated pipeline assets in McKean and Potter counties, to a subsidiary of Houston-based Endeavour International Corp. for approximately $80 million, the companies said Monday.

A think tank is questioning the importance of Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania’s employment picture.

The Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Mark Brownstein held up an oil and gas company’s magazine advertisement touting “responsible” energy development. “The point is, I don’t really know if it’s true. In fact, no one really knows if it’s true,” said EDF’s energy program deputy director.