The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday issued a notice of inquiry (NOI) on whether to require quarterly reporting of FERC-jurisdictional next-day and next-month transactions under the Natural Gas Act in order to increase transparency in the wholesale natural gas market.
Month
Articles from Month
MarkWest to Add Gas Processing Capacity at Mobley Complex
MarkWest Energy Partners said Wednesday it plans to add 200 MMcf/d of natural gas processing infrastructure this month at its Mobley complex in Wetzel County, WV, to support rich-gas production in the Marcellus Shale by EQT Corp., Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. and others.
Wary Energy Industry Prepares for Second Obama Administration
By a narrow margin, voters Tuesday elected President Obama to a second term in office, but with Congress still split — a majority Republican House and a majority Democratic Senate — the passage of significant legislation relating to the energy industry or anything else remains problematic.
Industry Briefs
Spectra Energy Corp. is taking a one-third interest in the Sand Hills and Southern Hills pipelines, both of which are under construction by DCP Midstream LLC, a joint venture of Spectra and Phillips 66. The deal is expected to close by the end of November when Spectra, Phillips 66 and DCP Midstream each would own one-third of the pipelines and equally fund their completion. The aggregate investment by Spectra is expected to be $700-800 million. Sand Hills, which would take natural gas liquids from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale to Gulf Coast markets, would have an initial capacity of 200,000 b/d and be expandable to 350,000 b/d. The first phase recently came online and connection to Mont Belvieu, TX, is expected by year-end (see Shale Daily, Oct. 29). The timing of Sand Hills’ second phase, the Permian portion of the pipeline, has advanced and is due to be in service in 2Q2013. Southern Hills would provide 150,000 b/d, expandable to 175,000 b/d, of capacity from the Midcontinent to Mont Belvieu and has a targeted in-service date of mid-2013.
Gibson, Omni Merger Expands Onshore Environmental Services
Calgary’s Gibson Energy Inc. is beefing up its U.S. onshore services with a US$445 million agreement to buy privately held Omni Energy Services Corp., based in Louisiana.
Washington Post Editorial Supports Fracking in New York State
Last month Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joseph Martens said he anticipated an eventual legal challenge to any rules the agency creates for regulating HVHF in the state, and he asked Health Commissioner Nirav Shah to conduct a health impact analysis of the practice (see Shale Daily, Sept. 24). The newspaper said it agreed with the observation by DEC officials and drilling supporters: that Martens’ decision would probably cause enough of a delay to require an additional public comment period (see Shale Daily, Oct. 4; Oct. 2).
Industry Briefs
Northwest Pipeline has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for another month to complete and place into service the North Seattle Delivery Lateral Expansion to meet the growing demand for gas in the Seattle area. At the same time, the agency approved Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America’s (NGPL) request for an additional year to complete a project in Oklahoma. It requested that the in-service of the lateral be delayed until Nov. 1, which the Commission approved. The North Seattle Delivery Lateral Expansion, being built for Puget Sound Energy, calls for removing an existing eight-inch diameter pipeline and replacing it with a new 20-inch diameter pipe within the existing right-of-way, and upgrading the existing North Seattle meter station. The expansion will raise delivery capacity on the North Seattle Delivery Lateral by 84,200 Dth/d. NGPL is proposing to increase the maximum allowable operating pressure of the gathering system at its Sayre Storage Field in Beckham County, OK.
Pennsylvania Bill to Drill on State-Owned Land Passes
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has passed a bill that authorizes the state Department of General Services (DGS) to lease state-owned land for oil and natural gas drilling, as well as mining for coal, limestone and collecting coalbed methane.
Crimson Eagle Ford Laterals to Exceed 7,000 Feet
Improved well results experienced by Houston-based Crimson Exploration Inc. and other operators continue to demonstrate the economic viability of the Eagle Ford Shale in Zavala and Dimmit counties, TX, said Crimson CEO Allan Keel in announcing the company’s latest well results Monday.
Ohio Energy Regime Overhaul Begins
When it goes into effect next month, Ohio’s SB 315 will bring regulatory change to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and four other state agencies, but that’s just the beginning of the changes the oil and gas industry can expect from the legislation, according to Craig Kasper, CEO of project development and engineering company Hull & Associates Inc.