Said

As part of the Obama administration’s “all-of-the-above energy strategy,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday that the agency will offer more than 20 million acres offshore Texas for oil and natural gas exploration and development in a year-end lease sale that will include all of the available unleased areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Planning Area.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Wednesday said it would provide temporary relief for non-clearing swap dealers to comply with the agency’s large trader reporting requirements for physical commodity swaps and swaptions.

Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling declined nearly 7% in the first five months of this year from the same period of 2011 in part as operators began moving from dry gas to wetter targets, according to data from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

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 study of data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that showed the percentage of wells with pollution events has declined, thanks at least in part to the state’s regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), was not “peer-reviewed,” as it was originally described, according to an editor’s note issued since the study’s release.

Cheniere Energy Partners LP said it will soon launch the syndication of two new credit facilities totaling about $2 billion. The new senior secured syndicated credit facilities include $750 million at Cheniere Partners and $1.3 billion at Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC. Proceeds from the Cheniere Energy Partners credit facility will be used to fund the acquisition of the Creole Trail Pipeline, to pay for pipeline improvement and modification costs and for other purposes. Proceeds from the Sabine Pass Liquefaction credit facility will be used to fund the costs of developing, constructing and placing into service the first two liquefaction trains of the Sabine Pass LNG liquefaction project. Closing is expected by the end of the second quarter in conjunction with the closing of equity financing and the purchase of the Creole Trail Pipeline. Cheniere Energy Partners recently announced several deals intended to fund the Sabine Pass liquefaction project (see Daily GPI, May 16).

Production of oil, natural gas and condensate from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas increased dramatically from 2010 to 2011, according to a new study of the play and its impact on the region. And there’s more to come, thanks in large part to the attractive economics offered by the Eagle Ford’s oil and liquids-rich gas.

Copano Energy LLC plans to add an additional 400 MMcf/d of cryogenic processing capacity at its Houston Central complex in Colorado County, TX, to meet demand from producers in the liquids rich Eagle Ford Shale. The expansion would bring Copano’s cryogenic capacity at the facility to 1 Bcf/d. The project is expected to cost $190 million and be in service mid-2014. Copano also announced a new long-term fee-based gathering and processing agreement with a “major” Eagle Ford producer, which combined with previously announced producer commitments, will support the expansion. Copano had previously announced plans for an initial 400 MMcf/d cryogenic processing expansion at Houston Central, which is expected to be in service during the first quarter of 2013 (see Shale Daily, April 21, 2011). “This second cryogenic expansion project reaffirms our commitment to being a leading midstream service provider in the Eagle Ford shale,” said CEO R. Bruce Northcutt.

A unit of Willbros Group Inc.’s oil and gas business has been awarded a contract by Energy Transfer Partners LP to construct a portion of the Red River Gathering Pipeline (RRG). Work is to include construction of 97 miles of 30-inch diameter pipeline from Ardmore, OK to Denton, TX. Construction is scheduled to begin in early April. The project is part of an agreement for Energy Transfer to provide gas gathering, processing and transportation services in the Woodford and Barnett shales for XTO Energy Inc., a subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corp. (see Shale Daily, Oct. 24, 2011). “The significant growth in the midstream market is driving additional opportunities for our strategy to offer comprehensive services to project developments in the liquid-rich drilling plays such as the Woodford shale,” said Willbros CEO Randy Harl.