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Around the middle of the year, SM Energy Co. management will have a clearer picture of how to allocate spending among a number of opportunities as it targets annual production growth of 15-20% over the next three years, executives said during a conference call Wednesday.

Around the middle of the year, SM Energy Co. management will have a clearer picture of how it will allocate its spending among a number of opportunities as it targets annual production growth of 15-20% over the next three years, executives said during a conference call Wednesday.

Resources for the Future (RFF) has released an update of its ongoing project to compare regulations in 31 states with current or near-future shale gas development. The latest series of maps shows more than 27 different elements of regulation nationwide.

As energy companies begin collecting production data from the few wells drilled so far in Ohio’s portion of the Utica Shale, a picture is starting to emerge that company executives and industry experts agree will determine how, where and when the play will ultimately be developed.

As energy companies begin collecting production data from the few wells drilled so far in Ohio’s portion of the Utica Shale, a picture is starting to emerge that company executives and industry experts agree will determine how, where and when the play will ultimately be developed.

While a national energy industry study due out this summer hopes to paint a futuristic picture of alternative fuels and vehicles in 2050 and vehicle manufacturers are zeroing in on specific fuels for specific types of transportation, a panel representing various alternative transportation fuels presented a diverse, complex view of the current market choices at Tuesday’s opening day of the ACT Expo 2012 conference in Long Beach, CA.

December natural gas posted a new low Friday as analysts factored in a continued weak technical picture along with a weather outlook that fails to even hint at seasonally cool temperatures. The number of rigs drilling for gas, however, posted a steep decline. December fell 6.5 cents to $3.584 and January skidded 5.1 cents to $3.696. December crude oil continued its march higher, adding $1.21 to $98.99/bbl.

West Virginia believes it can support a chemical industry even if plans to ship Appalachian ethane to Canada and the Gulf Coast come to fruition, an official told a Pittsburgh-area audience Wednesday.

While no hearings have been set as of yet for deciding the fate of several natural gas safety bills alive in the California legislature, all indicators point to the picture becoming clearer following mid-August committee hearings, when state lawmakers return from a month-long recess that begins Friday.