Oil/Gas

Mexico’s upstream oil and gas regulator Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) last week approved a series of exploration and appraisal plans submitted by private sector firms and state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). On Tuesday (Aug. 11), CNH approved six shallow water exploration plans submitted by Pemex, all for areas in Campeche Sound in the…

Further retrenchment in natural gas-directed drilling dropped the overall U.S. rig count two units to 251 for the week ending Friday (July 24), but the domestic oil count edged higher for the first time in months, according to the latest data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR). The United States added one oil-directed rig for the…

Even as regulatory rollback continues at the federal level under the Trump administration, North Dakota state officials are pushing ahead to address the cleanup of abandoned oil/natural gas wellsites under a stepped-up effort mandated by state lawmakers.

Eighteen Democratic state legislators in Colorado earlier this month sent a letter to the state’s top public health and environmental scientist, questioning a report released in February that concluded there are few health risks for people living near oil and natural gas drilling sites.

California air quality regulators on Thursday adopted the nation’s toughest standards for oil and natural gas production, transmission, distribution and storage operations as a key tool in the state’s efforts to counteract climate change.

One of the Colorado towns that started a series of local government moves to halt oil/natural gas drilling several years ago, Broomfield, saw its city council Tuesday night vote to indefinitely postpone action on a proposed oil/gas moratorium.

Reacting to a recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling, Boulder County commissioners on Thursday imposed a new six-month moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) after lifting a four-year prohibition that had been in place for unincorporated portions of the county. The ban will last through Nov. 18.

The Colorado House passed HB 1310 to the state senate last week, causing continued concern among officials at the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) and across the industry.

While a citizens’ group fighting increased oil/natural gas development dropped several potential statewide ballot measures in Colorado this month, three initiatives aimed at more local control over oil/gas activity (Nos. 63, 75 and 78) are still alive to the discomfort of business development and industry supporters.