Incident

A piece of the nuclear world lurks in oilfields, and it has reared its unwanted head in the Williston Basin of North Dakota, with reports continuing of illegally dumped oilfield byproducts from the Bakken Shale that contain naturally occurring radioactive waste.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has ordered Hilcorp Energy Co. to temporarily halt its operations in Northeast Ohio after a series of minor earthquakes were felt in several townships just miles from where the company has drilled seven wells and has plans for others.

A consent decree was approved Wednesday for XTO Energy Inc. to pay a $100,000 fine for discharging 50,000 gallons of toxic wastewater illegally in 2010 at a Marcellus Shale well site in Pennsylvania.

AnEOG Resources Inc.Eagle Ford Shale well that experienced a well control incident Wednesday was still burning Friday morning although the fire had diminished, the company said. There were no reports of injuries as a result on the incident in Lavaca County, TX, and all rig personnel were safely evacuated and accounted for, EOG said.Wild Well Controlwas contracted to assist in the response effort. The company said it was too early to determine the cause.

An eight-month investigation has concluded that a fatal explosion and fire during a construction project last November on a Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil production platform operated by Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC occurred after contractors failed to follow standard safety practices.

ConocoPhillipshas completed an estimated $600 million sale of subsidiaryTrinidad and Tobago Holdings LLCtoNational Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd.The subsidiary holds a 39% stake in Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd., which operates a natural gas midstream facility at Point Lisas, Trinidad. The Houston operator expects to recognize an after-tax gain of about $290 million. Including the latest transaction, ConocoPhillips said it has received around $14.1 billion by selling nonstrategic assets as part of its 2012-13 disposition program, which originally was to pare about $8.5 billion (seeDaily GPI,May 17). Between January and June, ConocoPhillips received $3.8 billion in proceeds from completed sales, with the remainder expected by the end of the year.

Consumers Energy, one of Michigan’s largest natural gas utilities, has agreed to spend $1 million to create a response fund for natural gas disasters and to help train first responders following two deadly incidents in three years, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said Monday.

EOG Resources Inc. has agreed to pay the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) $93,710 to settle a late 2010 pollution incident in the Marcellus Shale.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has given Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. permission to resume drilling at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well pad in Susquehanna County after an investigation found no elevated levels of methane in private drinking water wells.