production

DTE Pipeline Co. began Tuesday began operation of its Bluestone Gathering pipeline system in Susquehanna County, PA. The southern portion of the pipeline connects gas production of Southwestern Energy to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline in Lenox Township, PA (see Shale Daily, July 6, 2011). The pipeline has a capacity of 275 million cubic feet per day. The remaining 32 miles of pipeline will interconnect with the Millennium Pipeline in Sanford, NY and should be completed in January, DTE said. Bluestone Gathering is being developed as the Bluestone Pipeline Co. of Pennsylvania LLC, Bluestone Gas Corp. of New York Inc. and Susquehanna Gathering Co. I LLC, all of which are subsidiaries of DTE Pipeline, an affiliate of DTE Energy. Bluestone is DTE’s first natural gas gathering project outside Michigan. DTE Pipeline also is a 40% owner of the Vector Pipeline, 26.25% owner of the Millennium Pipeline and 33% owner of the recently announced Nexus Gas Transmission System.

In an effort to determine which government agency has oversight authority for the Bushton, KS, natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation plant, three subsidiaries of Oneok Partners LP have filed a declaratory judgment action in federal District Court in Tulsa, OK, seeking a ruling on the jurisdictional limits of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline Inc. is holding a binding open season through Dec. 7 for expansion capacity proposed to carry production from the Granite Wash, Cleveland/Tonkawa and Mississippian Lime areas to markets in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri as well as other intrastate and interstate pipelines. The Straight Blackwell Expansion would involve expanding the capacity of Southern Star’s system beginning in Texas County, OK, along the Straight Blackwell Line (Line Segment 315) extending east to its Blackwell Compressor Station in Kay County, OK. Customer interest will dictate whether Southern Star pursues the expansion and will help define the final parameters of any project, the company said. Southern Star said if the project proceeds, it will, subject to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval, install the necessary facilities to serve all or a portion of the requested capacity. Expansion service could begin Oct. 1. For more information, contact Philip Rullman at (270) 852-4440, Jim Neukam at (270) 852-4665, Pat Coomes at (270) 852-4552, Robbie Clark at (270)-852-4577, or Dale Sanders at (270) 852-4666.

East West Petroleum Corp. and Lani LLC on Monday said they jointly plan to explore two prospective areas in California’s San Joaquin Basin, the Tejon Extension and Tejon Main.

The U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans Friday enlisted two boats, a cutter, two helicopters and a plane to search for two personnel missing from an oil and natural gas production rig that experienced an explosion and fire at about 8:45 a.m. CST.

The U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans last Friday enlisted two boats, a cutter, two helicopters and a plane to search for two personnel missing from an oil and natural gas production rig that experienced an explosion and fire at about 8:45 a.m. CST.

Anchor Drilling Fluids USA Inc. announced Monday that it has opened a drilling fluids production plant in Wellsville, OH, the first such facility in the state and designed to service oil and natural gas operators in the emerging Marcellus and Utica shales.

Inergy Midstream LP announced Monday that it plans to purchase Rangeland Energy LLC — which owns and operates the Colt crude oil rail terminal, storage and pipeline facilities near Epping, ND, in the Bakken and Three Forks shale — in a cash and stock deal valued at $425 million.

The West Virginia Department of Revenue (DOR) has decided not to assign assessed value to oil and natural gas wellpad sites in the state, heeding the advice of a special committee of county assessors that doing so would pose a hardship to farmers who own surface, but not mineral, rights to their land.