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Energy infrastructure giant Williams, whose pipeline partnership holds a bundle of huge natural gas and liquids operations in the Northeast, expects to see “full ethane rejection” through 2015, which will lead to “near-term headwinds” for the unit, CEO Alan Armstrong said Wednesday.

A lawsuit filed by Range Resources Corp. against a Texas couple that accused the company of contaminating drinking water with drilling activity should be heard in state district court in Weatherford, TX, the Texas Second District Court of Appeals in Fort Worth ruled recently. Landowners Steven and Shyla Lipsky sued Range in 2011 after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an order that said Range was responsible for the contamination. However, EPA ultimately backed down from its claim (see Shale Daily, April 2). Range counter-sued the Lipskys and environmental consultant, Alisa Rich of Wolf Eagle Environmental, claiming that they conspired to incriminate the company. The Lipsky’s lawsuit against Range was thrown out, but Range’s counter-suit was allowed to proceed (see Shale Daily, Aug. 29, 2012). The case could still be heard in appeals court but only if all parties, including the trial court judge, agree to it by April 11. Range is seeking $3 million in damages. A Range spokesman said the company was still considering the court question, but is confident that the original ruling is correct and that Range’s claims should proceed to trial.

President Obama’s nominee for Interior secretary, Sally Jewell, former CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), told a Senate panel Thursday that she can do something that probably no other department nominee could: hydraulically fracture (frack) a well.

The U.S. natural gas-directed rig count this year has fallen even more than in 2009, but production continues to grow, throwing into question its future trajectory “perhaps greater than ever before,” according to Barclays Capital.

The U.S. natural gas-directed rig count this year has fallen even more than in 2009, but production continues to grow, throwing into question its future trajectory “perhaps greater than ever before,” according to Barclays Capital.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) is the second largest natural gas producer and one of the largest leaseholders in the United States but its various financial deals have damaged the net asset value (NAV) of its portfolio, according to ITG Investment Research.

New taxes on companies drilling for natural gas and oil in Ohio have the support of a majority of the state’s voters — especially if the resulting revenue would be spent to cut income taxes for residents — according to the results of a recent Quinnipiac University poll.

Both the cash and futures marched lower Wednesday. The looming question of where the current storage surplus combined with robust production will find a home come October continues to pressure the market. Futures slipped below $2, establishing a new 10-year low. Most markets were off by about a nickel, and Northeast points hovered in the vicinity of unchanged.

A Congressional subcommittee on Wednesday will question a representative from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others regarding a controversial draft EPA report which concluded that groundwater in Pavillion, WY, contains chemicals that are normally used in natural gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing (fracking).