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The number of original drilling permits issued in Texas during November declined from one year ago, as did the amount of natural gas produced from Texas wells during October compared to a year ago, according to Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) figures.

Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Commissioner David Porter, founder of the state’s Eagle Ford Task Force, wants more excess natural gas to be used for power generation at drilling sites instead of being flared.

The push to put more compressed natural gas (CNG) into the U.S. alternative transportation fuel mix has gained momentum in recent weeks with advances in vehicle equipment, model certification and in the local political arena.

The U.S. Commerce Department has granted Valero Energy Corp. a one-year authorization to ship crude oil from the U.S. Gulf Coast to a company-owned refinery in Quebec, Canada.

Costar Midstream LLC has acquired more than 80 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, associated compression and treating assets in Gregg County in northeast TX. Costar operates 75,000 Mcf/d of gas processing capacity, 8,000 b/d of natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation capacity, 20,000 hp of compression, and 30,000 Mcf/d of gas treating capacity in the area. As a result of the acquisition, Costar will construct 10 miles of 12-inch diameter pipeline to connect the NGL-rich gas supply to Costar’s existing processing plant and 600 miles of gathering pipelines. Costar is a portfolio company of Energy Spectrum Capital and was formed in April 2011 to acquire and develop midstream infrastructure.

Big Sky Petroleum Corp. has acquired a 90% working interest in an initial lease block of more than 2,300 net operated acres on the eastern shelf of the southern Midland Basin in West Texas. The deal gives the Vancouver, BC-based company entry into the Wolfcamp/Wolfberry play.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network said more than 50 organizations have signed a petition asking the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to take regulatory authority over natural gas pipelines in the watershed.

In two separate but related cases in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, a judge has ruled that energy companies can’t use the state’s de facto moratorium against high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) as an excuse to invoke force majeure to extend expiring oil and natural gas leases.

Gulf South Pipeline Co. LP has asked FERC for authorization to add an Enhanced Nominations Service (ENS) to its tariff to give firm shippers more flexibility in scheduling gas delivery for variable demand loads, particularly those associated with power generation.