Released

The U.S. State Department on Friday released a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS) on the proposed northern portion of TransCanada Corp.’s controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Western Canada to Cushing, OK, drawing strong reactions from supporters and opponents alike.

The U.S. State Department on Friday released a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS) on the proposed northern portion of TransCanada Corp.’s controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Western Canada to Cushing, OK, drawing strong reactions from supporters and opponents alike.

A new report released Tuesday by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) contends that more than 100 oil and natural gas companies are drilling in U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) without paying royalties to the federal government. Nearly 40% of these active royalty-free leases are fully or partially owned by foreign governments, the report indicated.

Geisinger Health System has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Degenstein Foundation to help complete a study on the health impacts from Marcellus Shale gas drilling, a report eagerly anticipated by officials in at least two states.

Gulfport Energy Corp., which released its 4Q2012 and full-year operations results on Wednesday, reported strong natural gas growth in the onshore, with falling oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) output.

Driven by carbon emission reduction and renewable energy goals, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber recently released a new 10-year energy plan for the state that calls for conservation and energy efficiency to take care of all increased energy demand during the period. Fossil fuel use is discouraged, and natural gas is virtually unmentioned in the 49-page document..

MSC also released a longer video on social media channels and is asking viewers to submit their questions about natural gas production and use. The video includes a series of clips from a variety of news programs detailing the economic benefits of developing the Marcellus Shale.

State oversight of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) will become more robust while federal oversight diminishes, according to a report released Thursday by a Houston-based law firm examining the legal and regulatory ramifications for fracking nationally.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has released the latest revised draft amendments of rules relating to the well integrity issues of well casing, cementing, drilling and completions, cathodic protection wells, and seismic holes and core holes. The draft revisions are being circulated for an informal comment period, which is to end Dec. 31. The revisions are in response to comments RRC staff has received so far. The proposals are working drafts that have not been finalized and have not been submitted to the Texas Register for publication for public comment. Revisions are proposed to rules relating to cement sheath thickness; drilling fluid programs; isolation of productive zones; surface casing testing; cement specifications, quality and requirements; new requirements for wells that are to be hydraulically fractured (fracked); minimum separation of wells to be fracked; and well control/blowout preventer and pipeline shut-off valve requirements. One of the proposed revisions would ban fracking at noncemented wells when the zone being fracked ends within 1,000 vertical feet of a usable aquifer.