Increasing

Producers’ increasing interest in liquids-rich gas plays that has made it necessary for midstream service providers to offer natural gas liquids (NGL) capabilities is what is suggested by this week’s pairing of Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP) and Regency Energy Partners LP in a joint venture (JV) to do just that.

Under increasing criticism from state and federal regulators, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) said it favors phasing out the practice of using historic operating pressures to establish the maximum allowable operating pressures (MAOP) for pipelines in heavily populated areas. The utility favors this change for pipelines in California and nationally.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy has drawn increasing governmental and business support in Mexico in the wake of an unsuccessful attempt by the mayor of Ensenada, North Baja California, to seize the U.S. energy holding company’s Energia Costa Azul liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal. Operations at the facility have continued without interruption.

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM), despite the setbacks in the past year, is one of the world’s great producing regions, and an increasing proportion of activity and production will happen in ultra-deep waters, requiring “constant activity, new capital investment and the participation of a set of large and small companies,” PFC Energy said Friday.

After three years of increased exploration drilling and skyrocketing lease rates, Ohio should soon see Marcellus Shale development drilling, according to one state official.

With regulators increasing concerns about data gaps related to the pressure testing of sections of high-pressure natural gas transmission pipelines, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) this month has assumed a data-gathering approach, while refusing to speculate on how much of the 1,800 miles of transmission pipeline it has traversing high-consequence areas (HCA) may need testing.

With access to Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale acreage at an increasing premium, state officials are scrambling to find out who owns the subsurface rights to nearly 1.7 million acres of state game and park land.

With access to Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale acreage at an increasing premium, state officials are scrambling to find out who owns the subsurface rights to nearly 1.7 million acres of state game and park land.

Both the House and Senate Tuesday rolled out legislation aimed at increasing federal regulation and inspection of oil and natural gas operations in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).