July

Three key lawmakers in New York say one month isn’t long enough for the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to receive public comments on proposed rules governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), and they are asking the agency for an extension.

The fate of the northern portion of the multi-billion-dollar Keystone XL oil pipeline from western Canada to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in the hands of the Obama administration will be the bellwether this coming year, determining if the U.S. technology-driven abundance of hydrocarbons is going to be cashed in as part of a North American-wide energy transformation, according to a former private equity energy star and now senior think tank fellow.

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released 90 pages of documents detailing proposed regulations governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), and it has set the dates for a 30-day public comment period on the proposed rules. The action appeared to signal a long-awaited break in the state’s drilling moratorium.

California oil and natural gas regulators are collecting stakeholder input on proposed rules for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) but at this point, drilling in the state has been somewhat tepid from a year ago, according to the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR).

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael Krancer took aim at a state lawmaker for accusing his agency of wrongdoing when it tested water supplies allegedly tainted by natural gas drilling.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Jesse White (D-Cecil), who has frequently voiced his opposition to the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law and the potential impacts of gas drilling in the state, sent e-mails to Range Resources Inc. — the largest driller in his home county — asking for campaign contributions and a ride to the 2011 Superbowl on Range’s corporate plane.

TransAlta Corp. and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. are partnering to develop natural gas-fueled power generation projects in Canada.

With non-strategic assets sales behind it, The Woodlands, TX-based Newfield Exploration Co. is focusing on multiple oil and liquids-rich projects and is placing particular emphasis on drilling longer laterals.

Rapid development of the Marcellus Shale is attracting new exploration and production (E&P) activity, a trend that is affecting long-standing national and regional gas flows, as well as regional pricing, according to a new report from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P).