Review

A bill to legalize and begin regulating hydraulic fracturing (fracking) passed the North Carolina House of Representatives on Thursday. It will return briefly to the state Senate before being sent to Gov. Bev Perdue for her signature.

Pro- and anti-liquefied natural gas (LNG) export advocates in Oregon reemerged this week with the start of a second FERC environmental review of the proposed 230-mile, 36-inch diameter Pacific Connector pipeline between the interstate pipeline hub in Malin, OR, and the proposed Jordan Cove LNG site at Coos Bay.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. is in advanced negotiations to sell all of its midstream assets, including its stake in Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP (CHKM), for more than $4 billion, a transaction that could be completed in the next few days, sources told NGI’s Shale Daily on Wednesday. The bidder is said to be private equity giant Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which initially helped to fund the master limited partnership (MLP) and which continues to be a joint partner.

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) said it would “review and consider” an industry report’s claims that the agency has significantly overestimated methane emissions from natural gas well operations, particularly from unconventional wells using hydraulic fracturing. It contends, however, that its emissions estimates are based on the best data available.

If Gulf of Mexico (GOM) production is to reach its true potential, federal regulators must provide a “predictable review and approval process,” according to a report issued by Southern Methodist University’s Cox Maguire Energy Institute.

If Gulf of Mexico (GOM) production is to reach its true potential, federal regulators must provide a “predictable review and approval process,” according to a report issued by Southern Methodist University’s Cox Maguire Energy Institute.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a request by El Paso Natural Gas for an early environmental review of a proposed 60-mile lateral that would cross the U.S.-Mexican border to supply more gas to power generation facilities. The 36-inch diameter lateral would extend from El Paso’s existing South Mainline System near Tucson, AZ, southward to the U.S.-Mexican border near Sasabe, AZ [PF12-11]. The Sasabe Lateral would have an initial capacity of 160-210 MMcf/d, with the flexibility to increase to 760 MMcf/d through expansions, El Paso said. It noted that it is in the process of negotiating transportation agreements with MGI Supply Ltd. for the initial capacity of the proposed lateral. An open season is to be conducted prior to filing a certificate application close to January . The pipeline called on the Commission to approve the lateral project by October 2013 so it may be placed in service by September 2014.

FERC has approved a request of El Paso Natural Gas for an early environmental review of its proposed 60-mile lateral that would cross the U.S.-Mexican border to supply more gas to power generation facilities.

Legislators in the Ohio House of Representatives have passed a mid-biennium budget review bill but stripped out Gov. John Kasich’s proposals to restructure taxes and regulations on the oil and natural gas industry.