Resource

Idaho regulators are looking at the latest integrated resource plan (IRP) of PacifiCorp’s Rocky Mountain Power unit, which assumes modest 1.1% annual growth and some changes in coal-fired power generation, including the retirement of a unit and replacement with a new natural gas-fired generation facility. Salt Lake City-based Rocky Mountain is the PacifiCorp operating utility in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Part of the IRP filed with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) calls for Rocky Mountain converting its Naughton Unit 3 coal-fired plant near Kemmerer, WY, to a natural gas-fired plant, and installing emissions control equipment on coal units in Utah (Hunter Unit 1) and Wyoming (Jim Bridger Units 3 and 4). The utility said that these plans are not final, due to the uncertainty of the future federal carbon tax legislation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final new standards for power plants. The PUC said it is taking comments from the public through Aug. 8.

Natural Resource Partners LP (NRP) is buying nonoperated working interests in Bakken/Three Forks producing oil and gas properties from Abraxas Petroleum Corp. for $35.3 million in cash, marking its entry into the Bakken Shale.

Atlas Energy LP (ATLS) exploration and production (E&P) subsidiary Atlas Resource Partners LP (ARP) is buying 466 Bcf of natural gas proved reserves in the Raton (New Mexico) and Black Warrior (Alabama) basins from EP Energy E&P Co. LP (EP Energy), a unit of EP Energy LLC, for $733 million.

A coalition of conservation groups on Thursday filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over its amending of 10 resource management plans (RMP) earlier this year to open more than 800,000 acres for future oil shale and tar sands leasing.

In addition to briefing state lawmakers Wednesday on the governor’s newly released energy policy, an adviser to Gov. Matt Mead offered a joint state legislative committee a glimpse at the governor’s proposed baseline water testing rule that would apply to oil and natural gas drillers.

Cardinal Midstream II LLC has secured a $200 million equity commitment from EnCap Flatrock Midstream to support midstream infrastructure development in conventional and unconventional resource plays, particularly in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Cardinal is focused on natural gas and crude oil gathering, compression and centralized production facilities, condensate stabilization, vapor recovery, and natural gas treating and processing. With the new commitment, Cardinal is led by CEO Doug Dormer and President Marc Lyons. Mark Ward has joined the company as COO. Ward has more than 30 years of engineering, operations and project management experience in the upstream and midstream.

The costly and complex decision to shift from being one of the biggest natural gas producers to becoming one of the largest liquids operators showed some positives for Chesapeake Energy Corp. in the first three months of this year, which also gained on improving natural gas prices.

Twin Eagle Resource Management LLC said it will market crude oil rail trans-loading capacity at GT Logistics LLC’s GT OmniPort facility in Port Arthur, TX. GT Logistics operates a unit train facility with about eight miles of track, 18 rail car unloading racks and a two-station barge dock. It maintains direct rail service with the Union Pacific and Burlington NorthernSanta Fe rail lines. The facility has direct access to the Intercoastal Waterway and will have deepwater access after further capital investment, the companies said. GT OmniPort began operations in September and has capacity of 100,000 b/d. Twin Eagle unit Enserco Midstream LLC plans to construct four crude oil storage tanks at the GT OmniPort facility that are expected to be operational in the third quarter. The parties intend to construct additional storage capacity and to establish pipeline connectivity with refiners and other markets in the area. GT OmniPort is adjacent to the Port Arthur refinery community, which has demand for about 2 million b/d of crude oil.

The South Texas Energy and Economic Roundtable (Steer), which is claimed to be “the most comprehensive Eagle Ford Shale resource in the region,” has opened its offices in San Antonio, TX.