Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy Inc.’s Colorado combination utility said Thursday that it has reached a settlement with WildEarth Guardians on a four-year-old lawsuit by the environmental group involving emissions at the Cherokee Generating Station north of Denver. Under the agreement, Xcel’s Public Service Company of Colorado will fund several environmental and community projects in the area impacted by the 611 MW coal-fired generation plant. The settlement will not be final until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department have reviewed it and made comments, an Xcel spokesperson said. Since the 2009 lawsuit, Xcel has decided to convert the Cherokee plant by 2018 as part of the Colorado Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act, which has prompted more renewables, efficiency and natural gas-fired generation in the state. Cherokee will remain a “vital resource,” but as a natural gas-fired plant. The conversion process began last October, the spokesperson said.
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Chesapeake’s Eagle Ford Output Jumps 266%
Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s Eagle Ford Shale leasehold, now is the top producer within the company, delivering year/year growth in 4Q2012 of 266% and sequential growth of 20%, the independent reported Thursday. Net production in the South Texas play averaged 62,500 boe/d, with 66% of it oil, while 19% was natural gas and 15% liquids.
More NatGas-Fired Generation Part of New Mexico Pact
State of New Mexico officials, Albuquerque-based utility PNM and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last Friday reached a tentative agreement on an emission reductions plan that would shutter two coal-fired generation units and create new natural gas-fired generation.
Apache Feeling the Love in Permian, Midcontinent
Apache Corp. is taking no prisoners in the Permian Basin nor in the Midcontinent after building output from the combined regions by almost 24% in 2012 from 2011. By themselves, the two regions represented 25% of total global production at 197,000 boe/d.
New York Could Begin Processing Permits Despite Health Study Delay
Although the New York State Department of Health (DOH) needs a few more weeks to complete a health impact analysis of high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens said Tuesday it would not cause undue delay in starting the processing of permit applications for the practice.
Comstock Keeping Haynesville Powder Dry
The dry gas Haynesville Shale will have its day again — when gas prices have a $5 handle — and Comstock Resources Inc. will be ready, management of the Frisco, TX-based producer told financial analysts Tuesday.
German Firm to Build Steel Tubular Plant in Louisiana
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Matthias Jaeger, CEO of German steelmaker Benteler Steel/Tube, announced Friday that they have reached a deal for the construction of a $900 million hot-rolling tube mill in Caddo, LA, strengthening the company’s position in the North American oil country tubular goods market.
West Virginia City Enacts 6% Tax on Natural Gas Drillers
A West Virginia city in the Marcellus Shale has enacted a 6% business and occupation (B&O) tax on natural gas companies operating within the city limits, reportedly to raise revenue to fix roads and bridges that could be damaged by drilling there.
Plains Exploration Sells Controversial Wyoming Gas Leases
A land conservation group reached an agreement Friday with Plains Exploration & Production Co. (PXP) to purchase the company’s oil and natural gas leases on 58,000 acres in the Hoback Basin of the Wyoming Range.
Oil and Gas Workers Begin Return to GOM as Isaac Slowly Fades
Weather conditions along the Gulf Coast were gradually improving Thursday as Isaac, which had reached the Louisiana coast as a Category 1 hurricane, weakened and moved into northern Louisiana, but oil and natural gas operators were being cautious about returning to evacuated facilities in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).
