Play

Despite cost declines, depressed commodity prices generally don’t support drilling in the Northern Midland Basin, a subbasin of the Permian, according to IHS Energy.

Continental Resources Inc. (CLR) had prospectors beating a path to Oklahoma following strong well results two years ago in the South Central Oklahoma Oil Province, which it dubbed the SCOOP. Initial well results from a stealth discovery that it disclosed Thursday in the heart of the SCOOP, the Springer Shale, may draw even more.

After stumbling a bit with a challenging and disappointing well in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS), Goodrich Petroleum Corp. on Monday reported its latest producer, which is apparently benefiting from a back to basics strategy the company is applying in the play.

While raising estimated ultimate recoveries (EUR) in its Williston Basin and East Texas Eagle Ford plays Houston-based Halcon Resources Corp. has added the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) as a third core area.

An ancient geologic play is drawing new prospectors saddled with state-of-the-art technology into the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma, where an Aubrey McClendon affiliate this week nabbed about 120,000 net acres and 6,000 net boe/d in a combination stacked play of the Woodford Shale/Mississippian Lime.

Rockies Express Pipeline LLC (REX) is working to remake itself for the shale gas world — to become an east-to-west shale gas expressway — but legacy shippers are balking.

While acknowledging that rail shipments are a vital part of the burgeoning Bakken Shale play, North Dakota energy officials on Monday refused to speculate on the eventual impact of the oil rail car derailment and fire in Quebec, Canada, on their state’s soaring production (see Shale Daily, July 16).

Driven by the Bakken Shale play, North Dakota’s oil and natural gas production continued to soar in May, but well completion rates were slowing amid a continued boom for drilling new wells, according to the latest monthly report from the state’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR).

Maryland’s Department of Environment (MDE) and Department of Natural Resources have released a draft report describing best practices for drilling and production that should be required if horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells is permitted in the state’s portion of the Marcellus Shale, which is confined to its two westernmost counties.