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North Dakota is “turning the corner” on the volumes of natural gas flared despite the relatively high percent of associated gas that is still being burned at the wellhead, state officials recently told NGI.

During the third quarter, Houston-based Rosetta Resources Inc. quickened its pace in the Eagle Ford Shale where it grew production 68% from the year-ago level; production was also wetter. Management also disclosed Thursday that the company is testing two new areas outside of the Eagle Ford.

Lower 48 gas production in January climbed half a percent or 0.36 Bcf/d, to a record 72.85 Bcf/d, mainly thanks to production gains in states in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) “other states” category.

Lower 48 gas production in January climbed half a percent or 0.36 Bcf/d, to a record 72.85 Bcf/d, mainly thanks to production gains in states in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) “other states” category, which included drilling activity in the Marcellus Shale.

Natural gas prices are going to stay low “for quite a while,” and producers are just going to have to deal with it; after all, it’s their fault, Southwestern Energy CEO Steven Mueller told a Houston audience Wednesday.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line’s (Transco) proposed 142,000 Dth/d expansion, the Mid-Atlantic Connector (MAC), which calls for the construction of 42-inch diameter pipeline extending from Transco’s Compressor Station 185 in Prince William County, VA, to Fairfax County, VA; the abandonment and replacement of pipeline in Fairfax County; and the construction of a 3,550-hp internal combustion-driven compressor unit at Transco’s existing Compressor Station 165 in Pittsylvania County, VA [CP11-31]. Transco, a subsidiary of Williams Partners LP, also plans to install one 33,000-hp electric motor-driven compressor unit at its Compressor Station 175 in Fluvanna County, VA, and to abandon four 4,400-hp internal combustion-driven compressor units, leaving it with a net addition of 15,400 hp at Compressor Station 175. The pipeline estimates that the expansion, to be completed in late 2012, will cost $55 million (see NGI, July 20, 2009). When completed, the MAC expansion will provide Virginia Power Services Energy Corp. Inc. and Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. with incremental firm transportation capacity from a Transco interconnection with East Tennessee Natural Gas pipeline in Rockingham County, NC, to delivery points as far north as Maryland. Other supply points in the path of the project include interconnects with Columbia Gas Transmission, Dominion Transmission and Dominion Cove Point.

Seventy to 80 percent of Pennsylvanians support a reasonable severance tax and that tax is necessary to ensure that all the state’s citizens benefit from the economic boost generated by production of Marcellus shale gas, John Hanger, secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), told a gathering of about 350 producers Tuesday.

Seventy to 80 percent of Pennsylvanians support a reasonable severance tax and that tax is necessary to ensure that all the state’s citizens benefit from the economic boost generated by production of Marcellus shale gas, John Hanger, secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), told a gathering of about 350 producers Tuesday.

Despite the lack of supportive fundamentals and an electronic Globex trading blackout of just over an hour, traders pushed June natural gas futures convincingly higher on Friday to close at $3.546, up 17.3 cents from Thursday and 14.4 cents above the previous week’s close.