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A frigid weekend in many sections was becoming a distant memory for many people who thought they had already seen too much winter already. Spot gas demand was dropping, and it was quite possible that more storage supplies were being substituted in its place, resulting in substantial declines in numbers across the board Tuesday.

Despite recent complaints from one environmental group about methods used last year to dispose of some of its drilling wastewater, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.’s Marcellus Shale operations in Pennsylvania have been recycling 100% of flowback water for several months, a company spokesman told NGI’s Shale Daily Wednesday.

In a move that could be seen as retribution for state Senate Republicans’ negotiating tactics and opposition to a proposed natural gas severance tax, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell Tuesday signed an executive order placing an immediate ban on leases for oil and gas development on any land owned and managed by the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

In a move that could be seen as retribution for state Senate Republicans’ negotiating tactics and opposition to a proposed natural gas severance tax, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell Tuesday signed an executive order placing an immediate ban on leases for oil and gas development on any land owned and managed by the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

Southwestern Energy Production Co. (SEPCO), a subsidiary of Southwestern Energy Co., said Tuesday a lawsuit claiming that its drilling in Lenox Township, PA, contaminated nearby water wells contains “unfounded allegations.”

John Hanger, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, said late last week he had seen no evidence that hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) chemicals used to drill for shale gas contaminate underground water supplies.

Wyoming has seen an increase in water-hauling activities in the southeast part of the state, mostly because of increased natural gas and oil drilling, typically irrigation or other large-scale wells, according State Engineer Patrick Tyrrell. Most of Laramie County, where the uptick in water hauling is happening, is a designated groundwater control area, which requires additional restrictions and conditions. Most activities may be accommodated with a permit for the hauling or a temporary use agreement, both of which may be obtained from the State Engineer’s Office. For information call (307) 777-6163.

As natural gas producers continue to turn their efforts to high-Btu gas shale plays, it remains to be seen whether the resulting production growth of natural gas liquids (NGL) can be accommodated by existing and planned processing and fractionation capacity, not to mention demand from the petrochemical industry.

As natural gas producers continue to turn their efforts to high-Btu gas shale plays, it remains to be seen whether the resulting production growth of natural gas liquids (NGL) can be accommodated by existing and planned processing and fractionation capacity, not to mention demand from the petrochemical industry.