Holds

Two environmental groups in California have sued the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to prevent the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the Monterey Shale play in north-central parts of the state.

The promise that shale natural gas holds to transform Ohio’s economy — and that of the nation — is too great to dismiss because of “misconceptions” about hydraulic fracturing (fracking), Gov. John Kasich said Thursday.

The promise that shale natural gas holds to transform Ohio’s economy — and that of the nation — is too great to dismiss because of “misconceptions” about hydraulic fracturing (fracking), Gov. John Kasich said Thursday.

As it prepares to begin commercial operations later this month, El Paso Corp.’s Ruby Pipeline holds a narrow initial market in the West centered on Northern California. Markets in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California remain virtually untapped, according to sources in those regions.

Chief Oil & Gas LLC announced Thursday that separate investigations by the company and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have concluded that Chief is not responsible for contaminating the water well of a woman in Bradford County, PA, who went on to become a vocal critic of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

A U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell plc, which holds more than three million acres of unconventional leasehold in North America, on Wednesday said it would be more transparent in its tight/shale oil and gas operations and released a set of “rigorous” rules that it uses in drilling operations. In addition, the oil major said it supported disclosing the chemicals that are used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations.

The Bakken play in North Dakota and parts of Montana holds a potential 24 billion boe in oil, liquids and natural gas, according to the CEO of one of the Bakken’s pioneering independent exploration and production (E&P) companies.

Former Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard, who now serves as president of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association (QOGA), appeared before a Quebec National Assembly committee to urge compensation for companies in limbo from the province’s environmental study of shale gas, but the meeting became heated after a legislator called Bouchard “unfaithful” to Quebec’s citizens.

Success at extracting natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) from North American shales has turned the conversation about NGLs and the U.S. petrochemical industry around 180 degrees. The abundance of feedstock and fuel coming from shale plays has caught the attention of the petrochemical industry, but still more confidence is needed before the real investment can begin.