Leasing

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is opening about one-sixth of a game reserve in Bradford County, in the heart of the Marcellus Shale, to oil and natural gas leasing.

Early indications point to natural gas development having a positive impact on state tax collections in counties in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region, according to an analysis by Pennsylvania State University researchers.

With a eye on natural gas prices, Dallas-based Exco Resources Inc. is dropping more than half of its drilling rigs in the Haynesville Shale this year, cutting one rig in the Marcellus and deferring well completions in natural gas plays. However, CEO Doug Miller said Friday there are “huge opportunities” to buy distressed properties, which the company intends to pursue.

When they return from summer recess on Monday (Sept. 19), Pennsylvania lawmakers will take up a tax or fee on natural gas developers, pipeline safety measures and a model ordinance for local governments, but they probably won’t discuss forced pooling, legislative leaders told an audience in Philadelphia last week.

Newfield Exploration Co. recently raised its 2011 capital budget to $1.9 billion from $1.7 billion set at the beginning of the year. The increase largely relates to leasing in “an undisclosed resource play,” said CEO Lee Boothby during a conference call with financial analysts.

Newfield Exploration Co. Thursday raised its 2011 capital budget to $1.9 billion from $1.7 billion set at the beginning of the year. The increase largely relates to leasing in “an undisclosed resource play,” said CEO Lee Boothby during a conference call with financial analysts.

Newfield Exploration Co. Thursday raised its 2011 capital budget to $1.9 billion from $1.7 billion set at the beginning of the year. The increase largely relates to leasing in “an undisclosed resource play,” said CEO Lee Boothby during a conference call with financial analysts.

Houston-based Marathon, which is the fourth largest integrated producer in the United States, began leasing acreage in the DJ Basin in 2010. It currently is acquiring 2-D and 3-D seismic data and expects to participate in eight to 12 gross exploration wells by the end of the year.

With the federal government restricting access to traditional oil and natural gas plays, resources from emerging shale plays are picking up some of the slack, said the head of the American Petroleum Institute (API).