Responsible

For the fourth year in a row, ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. investors soundly defeated proposals calling for more disclosures regarding shale extraction operations.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) amended its oil and gas well construction requirements rule (Statewide Rule 13) to clarify requirements related to casing, cementing, drilling, well control and completions. The changes take effect Jan. 1, 2014 and apply to any wells drilled on or after that date.

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, counting the emissions from fuel consumption only, vary significantly across states, with Texas and California registering the highest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions with 652.6 million metric tons (mmt) and 369.8 mmt respectively in 2010, according to a survey by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy on Tuesday inked an agreement at the LNG 17 conference in Houston to work together — and with potential investors — to dig down and study unconventional energy resources in Alaska’s Arctic.

MarkWest Utica EMG LLC has clinched an agreement with Rex Energy Corp. to expand its Utica Shale midstream infrastructure.

Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a Norwegian-based risk management foundation, has published recommended practices (RP) to guide operators that extract shale natural gas.

Asserting that a complete moratorium on shale exploration “would limit the potential” for research, the government of the Canadian province of New Brunswick said Tuesday it intends to continue to identify and act on the opportunity for greater scientific work to be done relating to shale gas exploration.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) on Tuesday released a Recommended Practice (RP) for pre-drill water supply surveys, the third in a series of shale development recommendations by the industry-backed organization. The latest RP is intended to ensure that homeowners’ water is properly tested prior to oil and gas development in their areas.

An overarching focus for the West should be “responsible energy development” that sets goals for providing reliable, affordable and cleaner energy longer term, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said Tuesday after being elected to the chairmanship of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) at its annual meeting in Cle Elum, WA. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper was elected WGA vice president.