The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) will consider 35 applications for water withdrawals, most of them intended to support natural gas drilling, at its next meeting in mid-December.
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Piceance RMP Comment Period Extended
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) White River field office in Colorado has extended to Jan. 28 the public comment deadline for a draft resource management plan (RMP) for parts of the Piceance Basin, which when finalized could result in thousands of new natural gas wells.
California Clears PG&E in Gas Pipe Whistleblower Case
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) was vindicated Wednesday in a recent whistleblower’s case, which alleged negligence by the utility in its handling of pipe welds on critical parts of its 6,000-mile natural gas transmission system.
Bleak Outlook Seen for Liquids Drilling Through 2013
The U.S. oil and natural gas rig count will fall through 2013, with a “glaring change” to the forecast for wet gas drilling, according to Raymond James & Associates Inc. A “meaningful rebound” won’t occur until the second half of 2014 and through 2015, analysts said Monday.
PG&E Reports, Pledges to Fix Corrosion Prevention System
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) on Tuesday voluntarily reported to California regulators 180 instances in which parts of its natural gas transmission pipeline system were in violation of requirements related to cathodic protection to help prevent pipe deterioration and leaks.
Translating Pennsylvania Drilling Law Into Plain English
When the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 13, its omnibus Marcellus Shale law, in February, it marked the end of three years of legislative wrangling and the beginning of a period of legal interpretation.
Industry Briefs
Representatives from a unit of BP plc began signing agreements with landowners in Trumbull County, OH, as the company readies to begin exploring its Utica/Point Pleasant Shale leasehold in 2013. In March BP completed an agreement with the Associated Landowners of the Ohio Valley to lease close to 84,000 acres in an unexplored area of the county, which is in the northeastern part of the state (see Shale Daily, March 28). With the agreements now in place, BP is executing individual terms with landowners, which may take up to six months. BP’s Ohio shale purchase moved it into ninth place among Utica/Point Pleasant leaseholders, according to data compiled from company reports by NGI’s Shale Daily. The top leaseholder is Chesapeake Energy Corp., which has an estimated 1.2 million net acres, followed by EnerVest and EV Energy Partners, which together lease an estimated 760,000 net acres. Chevron Corp. follows with 600,000 net acres.
East Prices Soft, But West Pricing Softer; Futures Slide On EIA Data
Natural gas cash prices continued to erode Thursday as mild weather conditions prevailed in many parts of the country. Declines in the East and Northeast were mostly of the 1-3 cent variety, but on the West Coast losses of close to a dime were noted. Futures traders digested an inventory report showing the first build of the season at 11 Bcf, slightly greater than what traders were expecting and prices fell. At the close of futures trading April was down by 9.1 cents to $2.269 and May settled 8.2 cents lower at $2.372. May crude oil dropped $1.92 to $105.35/bbl.
Industry Brief
Arizona regulators opened a prehearing conference on a 4% general rate increase request by UNS Gas Inc., the UniSource Energy Corp. natural gas distribution utility in parts of Arizona. The Arizona Corporation Commission has scheduled evidentiary hearings to run through Feb. 17. UNS is asking for an annual revenue increase of $5.6 million, increasing its rate base to $254 million, effective May 1. Tucson, AZ-based UniSource Energy is the holding company for UniSource Energy Services, which provides gas and electric services to about 237,000 customers, along with Tucson Electric Power, which provides electricity to more than 400,000 customers in southern Arizona.
Shippers to Stick with Keystone XL, TransCanada CEO Says
As TransCanada Corp. pursues various parts of the spurned Keystone XL oil pipeline project, shippers who hold long-term firm contracts equating to 850,000 b/d are continuing to stick with the C$7 billion, 1,700-mile pipeline project, TransCanada CEO Russ Girling told an institutional investment conference in British Columbia (BC) Thursday.