Ongoing

A state district judge in New Mexico Tuesday handed the state’s oil/gas industry an early new year’s present, putting a halt to legal appeals of ongoing industry efforts to revise rules for handling drilling and production waste, the so-called “pit rule.” An Oil Conservation Commission hearing on the industry efforts is now scheduled for Jan. 23 in Santa Fe.

A state district judge in New Mexico Tuesday handed the state’s oil/gas industry an early new year’s present, putting a halt to legal appeals of ongoing industry efforts to revise rules for handling drilling and production waste, the so-called “pit rule.” An Oil Conservation Commission hearing on the industry efforts is now scheduled for Jan. 23 in Santa Fe.

Unusually warm winter weather and the ongoing production boom from the nation’s shale plays will help keep natural gas spot prices down in 2012, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) said in separate reports Monday.

January natural gas managed a small gain Wednesday as traders saw an ongoing tussle between algorithmic traders taking profits on short positions matched up against a cadre of willing sellers. At the close January natural gas had risen 2.7 cents to $3.155 and February had gained 2.8 cents to $3.198. February crude oil gained $1.43 to $98.67/bbl.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted unanimously against House Bill 1950 on Tuesday, its last day in session for the year, setting the stage for ongoing debates about the matter when lawmakers return from their recess in January.

Wyoming and other states are being proactive in ensuring safety and environmental compliance in the energy production ongoing in their jurisdictions, including the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the shale gas production areas, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead reiterated Wednesday at a news conference in which he answered questions related to a letter he and 16 other Republican governors sent earlier in the month to President Obama.

If operators and service companies want to succeed in shale plays, they should keep an eye on state regulators, even in states far from where they plan to operate, “simply because those regulations tend to get passed around,” said a contractor active in shale plays.

In a new national consumer poll, natural gas beat renewables and other forms of energy as to which projects should be considered for expansion, something an overwhelming majority of consumers also say would create badly needed jobs in a struggling economy.

While separate regulatory commission and fire department investigations are ongoing, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) determined Tuesday it is probable that a wind-toppled tree in a north Seattle residential neighborhood caused a gas leak at a home blocks away that resulted in an explosion at 6 a.m . Monday. The married couple inside the home were being treated for various burn-related injuries and the home was leveled, a PSE spokesperson told NGI Tuesday.