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For use in its nationwide U.S. operations, Halliburton said Monday it has dispatched nearly 100 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered light-duty trucks at several of its field locations. The original equipment manufacturers bi-fuel trucks are part of a pilot program that will touch all of its U.S. operations.

Cash natural gas prices vaulted 24 cents higher overall on Monday on supportive weather forecasts in several key market areas. Just as the market on Friday priced in the double-digit futures loss on Thursday, Monday’s trading was faced with the task of acknowledging the screen’s 12-cent jump Friday. The Mid-Atlantic region posted gains of close to 40 cents, but Southern California, Gulf, Midcontinent and Rockies points all enjoyed exuberant pricing. At the close of futures trading, June had risen 3.5 cents to $4.090, and July was up 3.8 cents to $4.141. June crude oil added 69 cents to $96.71/bbl.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has asked about 70 municipalities to correct and resubmit a form showing how they spent their share of impact fee revenue from Act 13, the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Tuesday signed into law several energy bills that were passed by state lawmakers this spring, including one piece of legislation that should encourage more development in the emerging Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS), as well as other unconventional oil and natural gas formations.

FracFocus has several design flaws that make it inadequate as a regulatory compliance tool, according to a study conducted by the Environmental Law Program at Harvard Law School.

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) approved two separate agreements Friday to provide water from several managed lakes in eastern Ohio for approximately three months to Antero Resources and Gulfport Energy Corp. for Utica Shale operations.

Royal Dutch Shell plc said Tuesday it’s ready to invest “several hundred million dollars” in promising technology companies to accelerate innovations that might add value to its operations.

Increased natural gas sales by BP plc weren’t enough to overcome mild winter-sparked decreases reported by several other big name companies, resulting in a 4% (5.86 Bcf/d) decline in gas sales transactions in 4Q2012 (135.01 Bcf/d) compared with 4Q2011 (140.87 Bcf/d), according to NGI’s 4Q2012 Top North American Gas Marketers Ranking. The full-year 2012 total for participating companies was virtually unchanged from 2011.

Royal Dutch Shell plc and others in related industries are continuing their push for using natural gas as a transportation fuel. Several states also are adding incentives.