Land

An estimated 28.5 million acres of land in federal waters offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will be offered for lease in October as the Minerals Management Service (MMS) holds the first Central Gulf of Mexico lease sale in its 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing program.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Wyoming is close to putting two alternatives on the table that may allow natural gas operators in the gas-prone Pinedale Anticline in the southwestern part of the state to coexist with the abundant wildlife there.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Wyoming is close to putting two alternatives on the table that may allow natural gas operators in the gas-prone Pinedale Anticline in the southwestern part of the state to coexist with the abundant wildlife.

Robert L. Nance, 71, senior vice president of St. Mary Land & Exploration Co. and CEO of subsidiary Nance Petroleum Corp., will retire in early 2008. In 1969 he founded Robert L. Nance and Associates in Billings, MT, the predecessor of Nance Petroleum. His company and St. Mary formed a partnership in 1991 to explore the Williston Basin, and eight years later Nance Petroleum became a St. Mary subsidiary. Nance was honored with the Wildcatter Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 by the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, the Chief Roughneck Award in 2002 by the Independent Petroleum Association of America and membership in the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Hall of Fame in 2004. Mark D. Mueller, vice president and general manager of Calgary-based Samson Exploration Ltd., will succeed Nance as regional manager of the Rocky Mountain region effective Nov. 5.

Tulsa-based Williams received four awards from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) for its efforts in the Piceance Basin to apply new drilling technology, establish cooperative relationships with communities and reduce emissions and truck traffic associated with new developments. Williams, which employs 400 in Colorado, received a best management practice award from BLM for integrating a new technology that can drill and complete up to 22 natural gas wells from a single drilling location. Outstanding operations awards were given by the COGCC for a hydrogeology survey to study water quality, road and tunnel construction to shorten the driven distance to a new area, and centralizing the hydraulic fracturing process to eliminate trucking water from the North Rulison field.

Dejour Enterprises Ltd. of Vancouver, BC, signed a letter of intent to purchase certain proven producing and undeveloped reserves, approximately 2,100 acres of associated land, data and wells in Liberty County, TX, effective Aug. 1, 2007 for US$3.5 million cash with minor gas balancing adjustments, the company said Friday.

Dejour Enterprises Ltd. of Vancouver, BC, signed a letter of intent to purchase certain proven producing and undeveloped reserves, approximately 2,100 acres of associated land, data and wells in Liberty County, TX, effective Aug. 1, 2007 for US$3.5 million cash with minor gas balancing adjustments, the company said. The purchase includes four wells; two wells currently producing gas with associated condensate in excess of 12 MMcf of natural gas combined, one new well currently being placed on line with similar pressures and one standing cased well; all drilled to approximately 12,000 feet. Working interests range from 11.38% to 15.9%. LaRoche Consultants of Dallas, on behalf of Dejour Energy USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dejour, is providing independent engineering reports assigning NI 51-101 compliant gross proven reserves associated with this purchase of 9.3 Bcf and 130,000 bbl of condensate based on the New York Mercantile Exchange strip case. Production from this field is expected to be enhanced when the new well is placed on stream. Dejour anticipates additional wells to be drilled in the future. Dejour said it expects to close the transaction on or before Sept. 14, assuming no due diligence issues. The purchase will be funded from cash on hand.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has granted the state of Colorado more time to study and comment on the agency’s resource management plan (RMP) for the Roan Plateau, an area known for its spectacular scenery and abundant natural gas.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has granted the state of Colorado four months to study and comment on the agency’s resource management plan (RMP) for the Roan Plateau, located in the northwestern part of the state, an area known for its spectacular scenery and abundant natural gas.