Shale gas is a doubled-edged sword for power generators in the Mid-Atlantic region, supplying them with abundant, low-cost gas while at the same time putting pressure on an already over-taxed pipeline infrastructure, generators said Thursday at the fifth and final FERC conference on gas-power coordination issues.
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Pennsylvania Regulator Calls Marcellus A ‘World Class Operation’
He insists he’s not supposed to be a cheerleader for the oil and gas industry he regulates, but when Scott Perry, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Office of Oil and Gas Management, talks about the opportunities the Marcellus Shale has brought to his state, it’s easy to forget that distinction.
China’s CNOOC Takes Another Run at North America
Seven years after it abandoned a bid to acquire U.S. oil and gas producer Unocal Corp., China’s CNOOC Ltd. is making a run for Canada’s Nexen Inc. with an offer in the same ballpark as what it proposed to pay for Unocal. Politics and trade policy are expected to be features of debate over the deal as CNOOC seeks approvals in Canada and the United States.
Industry Brief
Oregon regulators extended for another 12 months the same portfolio of retail energy options for private-sector natural gas and electric utility customers throughout the state. The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) followed the recommendation of a third-party options committee in letting stand current programs for residential and nonresidential customers of NW Natural, PacifiCorp and Portland General Electric Co. The programs are designed to give utility customers options for supporting alternative energy development. Customers will continue to be able to voluntarily participate in NW Natural’s greenhouse gas emissions offset program and the two electric utilities’ offers for time-of-use, green source and wind power sources.
Natural Gas Giving Coal An Uncertain Future, Analysts Find
After hundreds of years of being the dominant source for electrical power generation, separate reports by the commodity analysts and the media say the coal industry faces an uncertain future as natural gas prices remain low and utilities build new power plants fueled by natural gas.
Seismic Testing Under Way in Wyoming County, PA
Oil and gas companies could be showing more interest in drilling wells targeting the Marcellus Shale in Wyoming County, PA, after having hired a seismic contractor to perform tests across nearly half of the county on their behalf.
Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Kept Off Endangered List
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said Wednesday the dunes sagebrush lizard (DSL) does not need to be listed on the Endangered Species Act after New Mexico and Texas voluntarily agreed to protect the animal’s habitat.
Feds: National Frack Study Being Conducted Near Lawsuit Site
Federal officials have confirmed that two agencies studying the effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) are conducting their work in Washington County, PA, near a Marcellus Shale drilling and impoundment site that is the target of a lawsuit.
Oklahoma Sees Decline in Gas, Oil Tax Revenues
Collections from Oklahoma’s gross production taxes on natural gas and oil were lower in April than they were in the same month last year, marking the fifth straight month with such a decline, according to state treasurer Ken Miller.
Researchers to Make Marcellus Geodatabase Available Online
Information gathered from six separate natural gas development datasets — all currently available on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website — have been formatted into a single geodatabase file by the Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystems (CBE) at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which plans to make the information available through an interactive online map by the end of the year.