Revealed

Natural gas production in Pennsylvania is expanding wildly, according to new data released by the state Department of Environmental Protection, which revealed 256 Bcf of natural gas was produced from 1,148 Marcellus Shale wells in the second half of 2010.

The Department of Interior (DOI) will be collecting significantly increased user fees from oil and gas companies operating offshore, the agency revealed in its budget for fiscal year (FY) 2012, which was proposed last Monday. It also plans to raise the royalty rate for onshore production on federal lands and collect fees for nonproducing leases.

The Department of Interior (DOI) will be collecting significantly increased user fees from oil and gas companies operating offshore, the agency revealed in its budget for fiscal year (FY) 2012, which was proposed Monday. It also plans to raise the royalty rate for onshore production on federal lands and collect fees for nonproducing leases.

Leading House opponents of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) said their nearly year-long investigation revealed that oil and natural gas service companies have continued to use diesel fuel to produce shale gas without receiving regulatory approval.

Leading House opponents of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) said their nearly year-long investigation revealed that oil and natural gas service companies have continued to use diesel fuel to produce shale gas without receiving regulatory approval.

An investigation by the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed that Royal Dutch Shell benefited during the awarding of oil shale leases by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2005-2006, but it did not find any evidence that the producer committed any criminal violations, according to a new report by the OIG.

A Dallas man pleaded guilty last week to one count of mail fraud as part of a scheme that defrauded investors in interests in the Barnett Shale natural gas play in North Texas and elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

The North American shales have been good to Devon Energy Corp. as evidenced by the company’s strong 3Q2010 earnings revealed this week. The Oklahoma City-based exploration and production (E&P) company said it set new quarterly production records in both its Barnett and Cana-Woodford shale plays.

Supporters of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s reelection bid were more optimistic Friday after the Alaska Division of Elections revealed that besides the more than 11,000 absentee ballots that have come in so far, there are an additional 8,000-plus questioned ballots still to be counted in the Republican primary race Aug. 23 in which Tea Party candidate Joe Miller won the initial precinct count by 1,668 votes (see Daily GPI, Aug. 27).