methane

Seneca Resources Corp. credited the Marcellus Shale for “tremendous growth” during the fiscal fourth quarter, with production and reserves posting big gains — reserves to a record high — and a successful drilling program in Pennsylvania allowing it to raise production guidance for 2014.

Wednesday physical natural gas trading for Thursday delivery saw widespread weakness of a few pennies at most spots around the country offset by significant strength in California and New England, where colder temperatures were beginning to set in.

After several months of decline, rail transport of crude oil is likely to pick up during the rest of the year, according to North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad, who said the widening spread in global Brent and U.S. WTI oil prices will drive more shipments back to rail.

Despite the fact that they may not be needed anytime soon, Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced Tuesday it is crafting new rules for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to reflect the concerns of residents and environmentalists.DEQ regulators have hosted or attended more than 200 public meetings around the state during the past two years. “We have heard loud and clear that there is a growing concern about fracturing,” said DEQ Director Dan Wyant.DEQ’s proposed fracking changes focus on four key areas:

Encana Corp. now has four natural gas wells producing to sales at the Deep Panuke platform offshore Nova Scotia, the producer said Wednesday.

Denver-based Bill Barrett Corp. continued to increase its emphasis on oil over natural gas with an agreement to sell its West Tavaputs gas property in the Uinta Basin in Utah.

As an outgrowth of the North American shale revolution, natural gas increasingly will capture a bigger piece of global energy demand with a denser network offering greater flexibility and improved economics, according to a white paper released Friday by General Electric Corp. (GE).

Newport Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp., one of the nation’s largest providers of natural gas transportation fuels and fueling infrastructure, said Monday it has formed a strategic alliance with the transportation finance unit of General Electric Corp. (GE) aimed at heavy duty trucking fleets.

An additional $250 million could become available for Texas highways impacted by energy sector traffic in counties that are seeing heavy energy development, such as Atascosa, Duval, Guadalupe, Karnes, La Salle, Live Oak, McMullen, Wilson and Webb. At a recent hearing of the Texas Senate Select Committee on Transportation Funding, State Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) directed the Texas Department of Transportation to request the funding for 70 projects that had not been funded in a recent appropriations bill. On Oct. 9, the agency made the request to the Legislative Budget Board, which must approve it. The $250 million is in addition to $225 million for 39 energy sector-impacted state highway projects that the Texas Legislature approved during the 83rd legislative session (see Shale Daily, May 30).