Lycoming

A criminal case brought by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane in 2013 against ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. continues to languish in a state court, where no action is expected on it until next year. Kane, facing felony charges in another case, has had her law license suspended.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) finalized more than $374,000 in penalties Aug. 20 against three of the state’s leading natural gas producers for methane migration violations that affected private drinking water wells.

Criminal charges have been filed by the Pennsylvania attorney general against ExxonMobil Corp.’s XTO Energy Inc. for violating environmental laws in 2010, when more than 50,000 gallons of Marcellus Shale drilling wastewater were spilled.

A Pennsylvania judge has ruled against a Lycoming County landowner who had argued an oil and gas lease could not be extended because he was not aware of an extension clause.

Twin Eagle Resource Management LLC said it will market crude oil rail trans-loading capacity at GT Logistics LLC’s GT OmniPort facility in Port Arthur, TX. GT Logistics operates a unit train facility with about eight miles of track, 18 rail car unloading racks and a two-station barge dock. It maintains direct rail service with the Union Pacific and Burlington NorthernSanta Fe rail lines. The facility has direct access to the Intercoastal Waterway and will have deepwater access after further capital investment, the companies said. GT OmniPort began operations in September and has capacity of 100,000 b/d. Twin Eagle unit Enserco Midstream LLC plans to construct four crude oil storage tanks at the GT OmniPort facility that are expected to be operational in the third quarter. The parties intend to construct additional storage capacity and to establish pipeline connectivity with refiners and other markets in the area. GT OmniPort is adjacent to the Port Arthur refinery community, which has demand for about 2 million b/d of crude oil.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has finalized its technical guidance for single source air quality permitting for exploration, extraction and production activities from oil and natural gas operations.

Making good on its comparisons to Saudi Arabia in terms of natural energy resources, the Marcellus Shale has been making its heft felt on the Northeast region’s pipelines, wreaking havoc with traditional basis on lines such as Tennessee Gas Pipeline.

Researchers from Duke University plan to return to Pennsylvania next week to conduct additional testing of residential water wells in the northeastern part of the state, including wells that are not currently near any Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.

Activity in natural gas shale plays has tended to heat up fast, especially when producers get a whiff of liquids-rich gas. Besides buying up acreage, producers are committing to gathering, processing and transportation services, and buyer’s remorse can result from moving too fast, a Range Resources executive warned recently.