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The next three months will average colder than normal across much of the northern United States, with arctic air expected to be a “frequent guest in [the] largest gas-demand population centers,” said forecasters at Andover, MA-based Weather Services International (WSI).

BP plc plans to begin drilling the first of 10 appraisal wells in Trumbull County, OH, next April, but developing eastern Ohio’s portion of the Utica Shale may be hampered by a lack of pipeline infrastructure, officials said this week.

Norway’s Statoil ASA on Wednesday said it has snapped up another 70,000 net acres in liquids-rich areas of the Marcellus Shale for $590 million in cash. The portfolio additions, which give the producer full or joint partnership in close to 750,000 net acres in the play, are spread across West Virginia and Ohio.

The wall thickness of a section of pipe on the 20-inch diameter Columbia Gas Transmission system that ruptured Tuesday in West Virginia was significantly deteriorated, said National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators Thursday. There also was a pressure drop on the line, but the magnitude of the decrease is unknown as was whether drop was the result of the rupture or its cause.

Dow Chemical Co. has taken the next step forward to build a planned world-class ethylene facility in Freeport, TX, and is seeking a federal air emissions permit for the proposed plant.

BP plc CEO Bob Dudley last week said the beleaguered oil major will become a “simpler,” more oily company over the next few years.

Over the next three years capital expenditures (capex) in the Eagle Ford Shale could top the projected spending for the Kashagan project in Kazakhstan, now the world’s most expensive standalone energy project, according to an analysis by Wood Mackenzie. In 2013 alone, $28 billion is slated to be spent in the South Texas region, according to upstream research analyst Callan McMahon.

FERC Friday issued favorable environmental assessments (EA) for two Marcellus Shale-related projects in Pennsylvania and New York: the Tioga Area Expansion Project and the Sabinsville-to-Morrisville Project.

BP plc CEO Bob Dudley on Monday said the beleaguered oil major will become a “simpler,” more oily company over the next few years.