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Houston-based land driller Sidewinder Drilling Inc. management on Monday said it now holds about 92% of the outstanding shares of Union Drilling Inc., which allows the unconventional oilfield service operators to move forward with their merger, first announced in September.

BG Group, whose global expertise is centered around natural gas, on Wednesday said it plans to slash U.S. drilling, as well as other global gas-weighted projects, because of low commodity prices.

Canadian pipelines have been put on notice to expect more safety inspections and public exposure of lapses, and the authorities have put teeth into the warning by making an example of the biggest company.

Global climate change is shaping up to be a front-burner legislative issue in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which slammed into the Northeast coastline last week with such fury that it destroyed homes and buildings, and left millions in the dark (see related story).

Canadian pipelines have been put on notice to expect more safety inspections and public exposure of lapses, and the authorities have put teeth into the warning by making an example of the biggest company.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) said it has issued 431 permits for drilling horizontal wells into the Utica Shale.

TransCanada Corp said Monday it entered into binding agreements with Phoenix Energy Holdings Ltd. to develop a $3 billion pipeline project in Northern Alberta to move oil sands crude and large amounts of diluent.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened an investigation into the bankruptcy of securities firm MF Global Inc. and a $600 million shortfall in customer securities.

A coalition of 14 environmental groups has asked Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett to reverse a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) policy that requires field offices to advise senior DEP officials of their intent to acknowledge water contamination related to Marcellus Shale gas well operations before notification letters are sent to potentially affected homeowners.