Practices

The Western Governors’ Association (WGA) on Thursday launched a regional drought forum to examine the lingering impacts of the acute western dry spell on four major areas.

Two public opinion polls, one in New York and one of voting-age residents across the nation, indicate that support for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is slipping, with opposition to the practice reaching a high in one poll conducted in New York.

A snap poll conducted by theSyracuse Post-Standardin New York has found that nearly 88% of respondents believe hydraulic fracturing (fracking) should at least be permitted in certain parts of the state, while only about 10% believe the practice should be banned outright.

An eight-month investigation has concluded that a fatal explosion and fire during a construction project last November on a Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil production platform operated by Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC occurred after contractors failed to follow standard safety practices.

The oil and natural gas industry will have access to the same kind of risk-management practices used by astronauts and the technicians on the ground who support them through an alliance formed by Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions and the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Three bills that if enacted would place a moratorium on using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in drilling operations, as well as review oil and gas drilling practices, have advanced in the California legislature along partisan lines in a body dominated by Democrats.

EQT Corp.’s decision to focus development operations in the Marcellus Shale appears to be paying off as the company reported Thursday that 1Q2013 production sales volumes increased by 47% over last year’s quarter and that production sales volumes from the Marcellus alone increased by 103%.

A diverse coalition of often opposing forces Wednesday launched a center to provide producers with certification of performance standards for shale development and established the first 15 standards designed to ensure safe and environmentally responsible development of the Appalachian Basin’s shale gas resources.

With the domestic shale gale in full force, Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the ranking Republican on the committee, vowed Tuesday to work together in a bipartisan effort to rethink energy regulation — but their differences on the issued appear unresolved.