Scheduled

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled three forums on natural gas issues in May. The forums, which would be held in a roundtable format “to encourage discussion and allow flexibility to find areas of agreement,” would include input from members and a variety of stakeholders, according to committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Topics for the forums are “Infrastructure, Transportation, Research and Innovation” (May 16), “Domestic Supply and Exports” (May 21) and “Shale Development: Best Practices and Environmental Concerns” (May 23).

SandRidge Energy Inc. was able to come to terms with a hedge fund that sought to revamp the company’s leadership, but some shareholders apparently think the changes don’t go far enough.

An attorney representing D&L Energy Inc. says the company will vigorously pursue its appeal before the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission, calling the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) decision to shut down the company “a gross violation of due process.”

A total of 29 parcels comprising 35,889 acres in a promising unconventional find in northeastern Nevada were sold to six companies for a total of $1.27 million by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) during its quarterly oil and gas competitive lease sale held in Reno, NV, the agency said.

GreenHunter Energy Inc., which last month saw its water handling facility in an Ohio town stormed by dozens of protestors, now faces another type of protest, with a southeastern Ohio community group demanding that the U.S. Coast Guard study the potential environmental impacts of the company’s proposed hydraulic fracturing (fracking) wastewater transfer station on the Ohio River in New Matamoras, OH.

SandRidge Energy Inc.’s transition from a natural gas producer to an oil explorer appears to be paying off, with the company’s Mississippian Lime operations experiencing success and its bottom line improving, but the market seems unconvinced.

A Pennsylvania official said royalties from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling on public lands will add about $60 million to state coffers this year.

California state oil/natural gas officials have scheduled the first in a series of all-day public workshops for Feb. 19 in Los Angeles to gain feedback on draft hydraulic fracturing (fracking) rules for the state.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has finalized revisions to general permits for natural gas-fired engines and equipment at compressor stations, which are “75-90%” stricter than current limits for the largest, most common types of engines used at compressor stations. DEP also is suggesting revisions to one section of the air quality permit exemption list governing well drilling sites.