Infrastructure

Baker Hughes Inc.’s North American activity is predicted to be steady this year compared with 2012, but customers still remain cautious about what’s ahead, CEO Martin Craighead said Wednesday. Canadian projects also are posing “near-term risks,” he said.

Spectra Energy Corp. infrastructure development mostly recently has been focused on the Northeast, where capacity is needed to get Marcellus and Utica shale gas to market. However, the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions are ripe for billions of dollars of investment as well, said Bill Yardley, president of the U.S. transmission and storage business.

Most recently, Spectra infrastructure development has been focused on the Northeast, where capacity is needed to get Marcellus and Utica gas to market. However, the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions are ripe for billions of dollars of investment as well, said Spectra’s Bill Yardley, president of the U.S. transmission and storage business.

Canada’s First Nations on Wednesday protested across the country — blocking railways, border crossings, and in some places hindered access to oil and natural gas facilities — to protest the federal government’s passage last month of an omnibus budget bill that altered the rules for leasing tribal lands.

Spectra Energy has been busy building out infrastructure in the Northeast, where capacity is needed to get Marcellus and Utica gas to market. However, the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions are ripe for billions of dollars of investment as well, said Spectra’s Bill Yardley, president of the U.S. transmission and storage business.

A Pennsylvania driller has bought more than 56,000 acres of leasehold, hundreds of producing natural gas wells and nearly 200 miles of natural gas pipeline and other infrastructure in New York state from a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy Corp. It said it plans to drill vertical wells on the acquisition acreage this year.

Crestwood Midstream Partners LP on Tuesday said it is building its foothold in the Marcellus Shale after wresting control of a natural gas partnership created last year.

Noble Energy Inc. is considering a move to larger offices in the Marcellus Shale to accommodate its growing presence in the play.

A poll shows a majority of Ohio voters support new severance taxes on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and natural gas liquids (NGL), especially if the revenue raised is used to cut state income taxes, an idea proposed by Gov. John Kasich.