Primarily

The borough council of Ford City, PA, about 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Armstrong County, is considering a proposal from EXCO Resources Inc. to lease nearly 300 acres of borough land for Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations.

U.S. exploration and production (E&P) companies that have taken a shine to the oily shale plays are boosting their capital expenditures (capex) in 2011, while the gas-focused shale operators are reining in the spending, according to a survey by Barclays Capital.

Houston-based Swift Energy Co.’s 2011 capital budget includes an accelerated drilling program to increase production and reserves, primarily targeting its liquids-rich acreage in the Eagle Ford Shale and the Olmos Sands in South Texas, the company said.

Eagle Rock Energy Partners LP is buying gas gathering systems and related facilities primarily in Wheeler and Hemphill counties in the Texas Panhandle from CenterPoint Energy Field Services Inc. for $27.5 million, the partnership said Monday.

Penn Virginia Corp. has paid $31.1 million to acquire nearly 6,800 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale, primarily in Gonzales County, TX. The acquisition was funded with cash on hand, the company said. The new acreage is estimated to contain more than 40 horizontal well locations, with Penn Virginia’s working interest averaging about 73%.

A June 3 blowout at an EOG Resources well in Clearfield County, PA, was caused primarily by untrained personnel and a failure to use proper well control procedures, according to a report issued by Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

A June 3 blowout at an EOG Resources well in Clearfield County, PA, was caused primarily by untrained personnel and a failure to use proper well control procedures, according to a report issued Tuesday by Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Total demand for natural gas will average 64.9 Bcf/d in 2010 and 64.6 Bcf/d in 2011, about 0.5 Bcf/d higher than previously forecast, driven primarily by strong growth in the industrial and electric power sectors, according to a Short-Term Energy Outlook released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) last week.

Total demand for natural gas will average 64.9 Bcf/d in 2010 and 64.6 Bcf/d in 2011, about 0.5 Bcf/d higher than previously forecast, driven primarily by strong growth in the industrial and electric power sectors, according to a Short-Term Energy Outlook released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Tuesday.