Montana

In a ruling significant for its split-estate implications, Pinnacle Gas Resources Inc. is exploring for natural gas beneath a Montana ranch after a state judge this week ruled against the ranch owner.

Houston-based Noble Energy Inc. expanded its core operations in the Wattenberg field in Montana last week with the purchase of privately held United States Exploration Inc. for $411 million. The transaction will add an estimated 248 Bcfe to Noble’s proved reserves, of which 41% are proved developed and 55% are natural gas.

Houston-based Noble Energy Inc. expanded its core operations in the Wattenberg field in Montana Thursday with the purchase of privately held United States Exploration Inc. for $411 million. The transaction will add an estimated 248 Bcfe to Noble’s proved reserves, of which 41% are proved developed and 55% are natural gas.

Responding to a court order following an environmental protest of its decision on coalbed methane (CBM) development in the Powder River Basin and the Billings area in Montana, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in a Federal Register notice on Friday issued a notice of intent to prepare a supplement to the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on oil and gas development in the area and to amend its resource management plans (RMP).

Any skepticism over a “Siberian Express” arctic cold front making a stop in the Lower 48 has been frozen off and the only question left is just how long it will stay the central and eastern regions of the United States.

Although it has been overshadowed lately by the boomingproduction in the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming, theRaton Basin in southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexicohas nearly doubled its coal-bed methane production over the pasttwo years. As a result, Colorado Interstate Gas is planning to beefup its gas transportation infrastructure in the basin and increasetakeaway capacity by 85,000 Dth/d to 200,000 Dth/d starting inSeptember 2001.

Although it has been overshadowed lately by the boomingproduction in the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming, theRaton Basin in southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexicohas nearly doubled its coal-bed methane production over the pasttwo years. As a result, Colorado Interstate Gas is planning to beefup its gas transportation facilities and increase basin takeawaycapacity by 85,000 Dth/d to 200,000 Dth/d starting in September2001.

El Paso Energy Communications Co., a subsidiary of Houston-basedEl Paso Energy; Touch America, a subsidiary of The Montana PowerCo.; and PF.Net LLC of Vancouver, a privately held company, plan tolaunch a $150 million project to create a long-haul fiber-opticnetwork linking Los Angeles and Houston.

Illinova Energy Partners (IEP) purchased another niche retailmarketing operation last week to bolster its presence in keyderegulating markets. The company, which has added EMC GasTransmission in Michigan and Equitable Resource Marketing inIndiana during the last six months, purchased Tempe, AZ-basedQuality Energy Services (QES) to gain a foothold in thesoon-to-be-deregulated Arizona energy market.