Important

Permits and production are soaring in the Niobrara Shale where Chesapeake Energy is indicating it has unlocked some important finds as it eyes the play as a significant contributor to its strategy for expanding its production of natural gas liquids (NGL).

The cash market retreated on average by 6 cents Thursday as traders elected to do their deals ahead of the release of important government inventory figures. Eastern and Northeast points took the biggest hits as forecasters were calling for unseasonably cool weather to infiltrate the Midwest and Ohio Valley, while losses in California were limited as a heat wave was expected to stay through the weekend..

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) may be at the center of current debate in states that are experiencing a shale gas boom, but it will remain an important part of the industry and can be performed safely, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) may be at the center of current debate in states that are experiencing a shale gas boom, but it will remain an important part of the industry and can be performed safely, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

The estimates of the amount of natural gas yet to be unearthed through hydraulic fracturing or “fracgas” vary widely, but there is a “determined limit” on coal-to-gas substitution that is “far short of driving coal out of the power market,” according to a new study by members of the Yale Graduates Energy Study Group.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) “turned an important corner” this summer in issuing final rules to implement the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Act and has set an aggressive agenda for this fall, said Chairman Gary Gensler.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) “turned an important corner” this summer in issuing final rules to implement the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Act and has set an aggressive agenda for this fall, said Chairman Gary Gensler.

August natural gas futures treaded water Friday in spite of ongoing oppressive heat and trader perceptions that the market may have put in an important seasonal low. At the close August had risen 0.4 cent to $4.399 and September had added 0.8 cent to $4.370. September crude oil gained 74 cents to $99.87/bbl.

Activity in natural gas shale plays has tended to heat up fast, especially when producers get a whiff of liquids-rich gas. Besides buying up acreage, producers are committing to gathering, processing and transportation services, and buyer’s remorse can result from moving too fast, a Range Resources executive warned recently.