Requires

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 six-foot section of a 20-inch diameter Columbia Gas Transmission system that ruptured Dec. 11 in West Virginia had wall thickness measured as low as 0.078 inches, significantly thinner than the nominal wall thickness of 0.281 inches when the pipeline was installed in 1967, according to a preliminary report issued Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

A coalition of 14 environmental groups has asked Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett to reverse a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) policy that requires field offices to advise senior DEP officials of their intent to acknowledge water contamination related to Marcellus Shale gas well operations before notification letters are sent to potentially affected homeowners.

Canaccord Genuity is maintaining a natural gas price forecast of $3.50/Mcf for 4Q2012, with prices gaining 50 cents in 2013 and then moving to $5.00 for the long term, analysts said Friday.

Independent petroleum engineering consultant Bob King has been named the interim supervisor of the WyomingOil and Gas Conservation Commission (OGCC) as the state searches for a permanent replacement for Tom Doll, who resigned effective July 2 (see Shale Daily, June 18). King, who has worked in the state’s oil and gas industry for 30 years, served in a similar capacity on an interim basis in 2008-2009, according to Gov. Matt Mead. “The OGCC has a critical role, and Bob’s experience will provide necessary leadership as we begin the search for a permanent supervisor,” Mead said. State law requires the supervisor position to be filled by a petroleum engineer or petroleum geologist.

A committee appointed by Quebec’s environment minister to study hydraulic fracturing (fracking) said the practice requires further study and recommended against authorizing any test wells that would conduct fracking for research purposes.

Citing a possible leak, ANR said it is performing an unplanned pipe inspection on its 747 Line that requires the shut-in of four South Marsh Island meters offshore Louisiana.

Encana Corp. has close to 11.7 million net acres from which to pick and choose for development in North America’s onshore, but the Horn River Basin in British Columbia (BC) is drawing special attention, in part because of the promise it holds for natural gas demand in the oilsands, as well as promising liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, company officials said Tuesday.

Tennessee declared an Imbalance Warning Monday to enhance its operational flexibility to manage high imbalances in Zones 5 and 6. The warning requires delivery point operators in those zones to keep actual daily takes out of the system equal to or less than scheduled quantities regardless of their cumulative imbalance position, and receipt point operators to keep actual daily receipts into the system equal to or greater than scheduled quantities regardless of their cumulative imbalance position.