Sands

Citing conflicting words and actions by President Obama on natural gas, a chief economist for a major producer group Wednesday urged Congress to put a stop to what he claims is the administration’s attempt to overregulate hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and oil and natural gas production.

Led by increases of 9% (0.37 Bcf/d) in the Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico and 1.9% (0.37 Bcf/d) in other states, natural gas production in the Lower 48 states increased 1.4% (0.96 Bcf/d) in October compared with the previous month, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The increases were partially explained by wells coming back online that had been shut-in due to Tropical Storm Lee and drilling activity in the Marcellus Shale play, according to EIA’s Monthly Natural Gas Production Report. Offshore production, which has also have suffered from the moratorium on drilling there that followed the blowout of BP plc’s Macondo well (see see NGI, April 26, 2010), remains well below year-ago levels. Gross production from the Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico was 4.49 Bcf/d in October, a nearly 25% decline from 5.95 Bcf/d in the year-ago period, according to EIA. Overall, U.S. production climbed 1.3% (1.05 Bcf/d) in October from September to 80.10 Bcf/d and were up 6.4% (4.85 Bcf/d) from the year-ago period, according to EIA. Wyoming posted a gain of 2.9% (0.19 Bcf/d); Alaska climbed 1.0% (0.09 Bcf/d); Texas was up 0.5% (0.12 Bcf/d); and Oklahoma remained unchanged at 5.37%. At the same time, Louisiana experienced a 0.7% decline (minus 0.06 Bcf/d) and New Mexico posted a decline of 0.8% (0.03 Bcf/d).

Improved development and drainage of shale plays is among the topics researchers at the University of Texas (UT) will investigate as part of an energy partnership agreement signed by UT and Statoil in Austin, TX, Monday.

Range Resources Corp. credited its second quarter results to a simple factor: better rocks.

The number of rigs targeting oil and natural gas in U.S. tight sands and shale plays saw a significant drop during the week ending May 20, while oil and gas prices hovered in their recent comfort zones, according to NGI’s Shale Daily Unconventional Rig Count.

The number of rigs targeting oil and natural gas in U.S. tight sands and shale plays saw a significant drop during the week ending May 20, while oil and gas prices hovered in their recent comfort zones, according to NGI’s Shale Daily Unconventional Rig Count.

Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology are studying methods for extracting natural gas from tight sands and shale formations using a single-molecule imaging system.

Active rigs in U.S. shale and tight sands basins gained 1% in the week ending April 1 to hit 981 rigs, up from 972 the previous week, according to NGI’s Shale Daily Unconventional Rig Count.

Active rigs in U.S. shale and tight sands basins gained 1% in the week ending April 1 to hit 981 rigs, up from 972 the previous week, according to NGI’s Shale Daily Unconventional Rig Count.