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While there are competing proposals to break through the bottlenecks to bringing rich gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the Bakken formation to market, the Alliance Pipeline and Aux Sable NGL systems think they have the inside track. In the meantime, a substantial amount of NGL movement continues through rail and trucking.

Oil and natural gas operators appear to be on the wrong end of a turf war with the coal industry along the length of eastern Ohio, losing “significant” amounts of acreage in coal-bearing townships that also intersect with the Marcellus and Utica shales.

Oil and natural gas operators appear to be on the wrong end of a turf war with the coal industry along the length of eastern Ohio, losing “significant” amounts of acreage in coal-bearing townships that also intersect with the state’s portions of the Marcellus and Utica shales.

Following lengthy public hearings and the arrival of thousands of written comments by experts and stakeholders, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said Wednesday it needs another month to complete an environmental review and proposed regulations for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state.

Until further notice, Columbia Gulf said Thursday it will not be accepting imbalance paybacks or allowing shippers to create new length on their contracts.

The persistently sharp contrast between expensive oil and cheap gas has had dramatic effects on Western Canadian drilling, boosting activity and accelerating a trend to targeting oil rather than gas.

The U.S. power system managed the second hottest July in 100 years quite well this year, but the slow-down in power plant construction and the length of time required to permit the large number of proposed coal-fired power plants could put the system at risk in a few years, according to a new report by energy consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-TX, announced Friday he will hold a full committee markup starting Tuesday on the book-length Energy Policy Act of 2005, at the same time a key Senate energy leader set next Wednesday for the announcement of broad stand-alone legislation directed at bringing down natural gas prices.

Gastar Exploration Ltd. has acquired, in arms-length transactions, a 75% working interest in about 4,000 net acres of leases in Campbell County, WY, as well as 11 pilot test wells and other acreage in the Appalachian Basin. The Wyoming acreage, located in the Squaw Creek area, is part of the Powder River Basin, which is rich in coalbed methane (CBM) deposits. It already has 65 CBM wells in the initial stages of dewatering and production, with several realized production rates approaching 75 Mcf/d after less than two months of dewatering. No financial details were disclosed for either deal.