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Members of the Pittsburgh Presbytery voted to end a one-year moratorium on shale development, a decision that could potentially open property from the organization’s 150 churches to Marcellus Shale oil and gas leasing.

The recent approval of a second license to export domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-free trade agreement (FTA) nations includes language that supports the disputed exports as being in the public interest, Sempra Energy CEO Debra Reed said at an investor conference Thursday in New York City.

During the first quarter, Quicksilver Resources Inc. lost more money than Wall Street was expecting as the company continued to “hammer on the cost side” of its business, deferring elective spending in the energy patch and cutting back on staff.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, in only her second week on the job, signaled last week that new rules governing federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) are imminent.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who is in her second week on the job, signaled Monday that new rules governing federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) are imminent.

With the price of gold now down nearly 30% from its record September 2011 high of $1,920.30/oz to around $1,377, analysts looking for a commodity to be bullish about have turned their focus to natural gas as a new commodity “safe haven,” thanks to the shale revolution.

Complying with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed hydraulic fracturing (fracking) rulemaking for drilling on public lands would cost as much as $180,250/well, or $370 million annually, according to economists with Oklahoma City University (OCU).

Following a second vote by the City of Dallas Plan Commission to deny Trinity East Energy LLC permission for three drill sites within the city limits, Trinity East Energy LLC said it will seek to persuade a super-majority of the 15-member Dallas City Council to grant the permits.

Gastar Exploration Ltd. plans to suspend its Marcellus Shale capital program “for a short period” during the second half of the year while it monitors production results and allows time for constraints in midstream services to be worked out, CEO Russ Porter said last week.