Shale

Maryland intends to sue Chesapeake Energy Corp. over an April 19 Marcellus Shale well blowout and the release of thousands of gallons of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) fluid into a tributary of the Susquehanna River, according to the state’s attorney general, Douglas F. Gansler.

American Petroleum Institute (API) CEO Jack Gerard said regulation of the nation’s shale gas plays would best be handled by state government and cautioned against involvement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Texas American Resources Co. affiliate TARH E&P Holdings LP completed a farmout on a portion of its Eagle Ford Shale and Buda acreage in South Texas.

Maryland intends to sue Chesapeake Energy Corp. over an April 19 Marcellus Shale well blowout and the release of thousands of gallons of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) fluid into a tributary of the Susquehanna River, according to the state’s attorney general, Douglas F. Gansler.

Noble Energy Inc. CEO Chuck Davidson said he was “really pleased” with the company’s growth in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin.

The North American drilling services market is tight and getting tighter, squeezed by increased activity in liquids-heavy and emerging shale oil plays, Baker Hughes Inc. CEO Chad Deaton said last week.

Costar Midstream LLC and Energy Spectrum Partners VI (ESP VI) have partnered to acquire gas processing assets in the Granite Wash area of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle. Costar said it plans to build a “sizable” midstream business focusing on gathering and processing assets that can be acquired and developed. This is the first portfolio investment for ESP VI, which is a $998.7 million private equity fund focused on midstream infrastructure. Energy Spectrum has more than $2.3 billion of capital under management. ESP VI, the firm’s most recent fund, closed recently with commitments of $998.7 million. Recently privately held Crestwood Midstream Partners LP completed an acquisition of midstream assets in the Granite Wash (see Shale Daily, April 5).

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) approved four deals with Marcellus Shale operators at its April meeting, including one that could lead to drilling on state lands.

Despite the opposition of Gov. Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania lawmakers from both sides of the aisle continue to look for ways to generate revenue from the Marcellus Shale.