Question

For liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers looking for a market, the question from the United States is “how low can you go?” Well stocked with shale gas and other unconventional supplies, the U.S. can afford to spurn LNG imports unless the price is right.

“Where’s the weather?” That question must have been on a good many traders’ minds Friday as prices crashed and burned at almost all points. Besides moderate conditions dominating the weather picture almost everywhere, the cash market was negatively influenced by Thursday’s 24.7-cent screen drop and the loss of industrial load that accompanies a weekend market.

How much radioactive contamination is too much? The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) will wrestle with that question over the next few months as it sorts out whether to allow producers to explore the natural gas-prone area near the nuclear blast site at Project Rulison.

How much radioactive contamination is too much? The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) will wrestle with that question over the next few months as it sorts out whether to allow producers to explore the natural gas-prone area near the nuclear blast site at Project Rulison.

The untold Rocky Mountains oil and natural gas reserves continue to beckon exploration and production (E&P) companies and a growing group of private entities, but a big question remains: where among these 9.2 million acres is the next Bakken shale, Jonah-Pinedale, Big George coals or Covenant field?

The question of “How hot is it?” was answered on Thursday morning as the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that only 42 Bcf made it into underground storage for the week ended Aug. 3. The bullish number helped launch September natural gas futures more than 30 cents higher in morning trade. The contract ended up closing at $6.586, up 36.6 cents on the day.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) split the baby on the controversial question of drilling on the Roan Plateau in Colorado with a decision allowing carefully programmed drilling on less than half, or about 34,000 acres, of the plateau area. The decision set aside about 17,000 acres with the restriction of no surface occupancy and proposed that the ban be extended to another 21,000 acres in special areas it has labeled as environmentally critical.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) split the baby on the controversial question of drilling on the Roan Plateau in Colorado with a decision, issued last Friday, allowing carefully programmed drilling on less than half, or about 34,000 acres, of the plateau area. The decision set aside about 17,000 acres with the restriction of no surface occupancy and proposed that the ban be extended to another 21,000 acres in special areas it has labeled as environmentally critical.

When does the unconventional become conventional? It’s a question gas shale developers ask because the natural gas produced by the “out of the ordinary” wells in the Barnett, Fayetteville, Woodford, Antrim and Appalachian shales — to name but a few — are becoming more routine every day.