Issued

The San Francisco-based Center for Biological Diversity has issued a 60-day notice of intent to file a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for allegedly failing to keep wildlife protected from hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of oil and gas wells on federal lands it manages in the Monterey Shale in central California.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) issued its first two nonbinding advisory opinions on local drilling ordinances, part of its new responsibilities to ensure that localities are in compliance with Act 13, the state’s new omnibus Marcellus Shale law.

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued an amendment to the draft White River Resource Management Plan for oil and natural gas development in northwestern Colorado’s Piceance Basin over the next 20 years.

After overcoming a series of technical glitches, the fourth iteration of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) 1H2012 production report issued last week indicated that natural gas production from unconventional wells totaled 894.8 Bcf, a figure that includes Marcellus Shale wells along with some targeting the Utica Shale and other formations. The figure was more than double the 435.1 Bcf in 1H2011, although that figure only included Pennsylvania Marcellus production.

The fourth iteration of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) biannual production report issued last week indicated that natural gas production from unconventional wells totaled 894.8 Bcf during the first six months of this year, a figure that includes Marcellus Shale wells along with some targeting the Utica Shale and other formations. Operators also reported producing 672,550 bbl of condensate and 49,194 bbl of oil from January through June.

To build its “shale-related businesses,” Houston-based oilfield services operator FMC Technologies Inc., better known for its subsea business, is acquiring Calgary’s Pure Energy Services Ltd. for US$285 million.

The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the results of Tuesday and Wednesday lease sales in the Dakotas and New Mexico. They brought in nearly $29 million combined: $3.3 million from the Dakotas and $25.6 million from New Mexico.

FERC on Friday issued a favorable environmental assessment (EA) for Alliance Pipeline LP’s Tioga Lateral Project that would deliver liquids-rich natural gas from the Permian Basin to the Chicago market hub.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Monday issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that re-proposes adding certain provisions to Part 43 of the Commission’s regulations pertaining to block trades in swap contracts.