California oil/natural gas officials will hold two day-long public workshops on draft discussion rules on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) established late last year. The first session conducted by the Division of Oil/Gas Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) is set for Wednesday in Bakersfield, CA, dividing the draft rules into seven basic components and holding discussion and question-answer sessions on each during the day. A second session with a similar format will be held in Sacramento March 21. An initial workshop was held in Los Angeles Feb. 19 as part of DOGGR’s attempt to get widespread industry and general public input ahead of the start of the formal process for establishing a set of rules and guidelines for pre-fracturing well testing; advance notification; monitoring during and after fracturing operations; disclosure of materials used in fracturing fluid; trade secrets; and storage and handling of fracking fluids. Additional workshops are slated for the Santa Barbara and Monterey areas. The formal rules are not expected before next year.
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Devon Quits EPA Program Charging Misuse of Emissions Data
Devon Energy Corp. is pulling out of a voluntary natural gas well emissions data gathering program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) saying the data has been “irresponsibly and inaccurately used to justify costly regulations” for unconventional drilling.
Canadian Natural Looking to Sell, JV Montney Acreage
Canadian Natural Resources — Canada’s second-largest independent natural gas producer and its largest producer of heavy oils — is considering the sale of about 250,000 net acres of its Montney land base, about one-quarter of its total Montney acreage, President Steve Laut said Thursday during an earnings conference call.
Vanguard Is Oil/Gas ‘Agnostic,’ Focused on Margin
Unlike many producers today, Vanguard Natural Resources LLC is not necessarily focused on oil and natural gas liquids (NGL)-rich acquisitions. The company has done recent deals for both liquids and dry gas assets, instead focusing on margin and how the properties fit into its structure, CEO Scott Smith said Monday.
Sempra Eyes IPO, LNG Exports
San Diego-based Sempra Energy’s Mexico business unit plans to hold an initial public offering (IPO) of up to 20% of stock as part of a long-range plan to increase natural gas investments on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. At the same time, the company senior management is talking bullishly about U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
Sempra Eyes IPO for U.S.-Mexico NatGas Investments
San Diego-based Sempra Energy’s Mexico business unit plans to hold an initial public offering (IPO) of up to 20% of stock as part of a long-range plan to increase natural gas investments on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Industry Brief
KW Express LLC a partnership of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) and Watco Companies LLC, has entered into a long-term agreement with Mercuria Energy Trading Co. Inc. to construct a 210,000 b/d crude-by-rail project at the Greens Port Industrial Park on the Houston Ship Channel. The project will allow Mercuria Energy Trading Inc. to source crude from various locations, including Cushing, OK, West Texas, the Bakken Shale area and Western Canada for delivery by rail into the Houston Ship Channel for distribution to various refiners via pipeline and barges. The facility will have the capability to unload and load up to three unit trains per day of crude oil and condensate as well as provide for up to 100,000 b/d of barge loading capacity. KW Express will own 85% of the project and, together with Watco, operate the project once completed. Mercuria will own the remaining 15% interes
TransCanada Sees Continued Weakness in NatGas Pipelines
Natural gas infrastructure “presents significant opportunities” in the long-term, but not so much today, TransCanada Corp. CEO Russ Girling said last week.
TransCanada CEO: ‘Continued Weakness’ in Natural Gas Pipelines
Natural gas infrastructure “presents significant opportunities” in the long-term, but not so much today, TransCanada Corp. CEO Russ Girling said Tuesday.
Utility, Siemens Aim for Natural Gas Fueling Share
A long-established Midwest gas utility holding company and an international industrial giant are the latest players to indicate they intend to compete in the growing natural gas transportation fuel market.
