Significant

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has delayed implementation of Act 13, the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law, “due to an ambiguity with an injunction imposed by the state’s Commonwealth Court,” the PUC said late Thursday.

The top geologists in Colorado and Oklahoma, states with significant natural gas and oil resources, said researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) were hasty in suggesting that injection wells used to dispose of wastewater from drilling operations are responsible for an increase in earthquake activity in the Midcontinent region.

Oneok Partners LP said Wednesday it plans to invest $140-160 million to build a 270-mile natural gas gathering system and related infrastructure in Divide County, ND, in the heart of the Bakken Shale.

Poland’s technically recoverable shale gas resources are much lower than projections made last year by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), according to a report issued Wednesday.

San Antonio-based Howard Energy Partners said Thursday it will acquire the Eagle Ford Escondido Gathering System, which is partially owned by Laredo Energy, and the Cuervo Creek Gathering System from Meritage Midstream Services. Both systems are primarily 12- 16-inch diameter high-pressure gas pipelines. The transaction is expected to close in April.

Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC made “significant progress” on its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project in 2011, but that wasn’t enough to keep red ink from marring Cheniere Energy Inc.’s bottom line, the company said Friday.

Newfield Exploration Co. said that in 2012 it will devote more of its capital expenditure (capex) program and boost production in natural gas liquids (NGL) and oil — at the expense of natural gas — as it looks to become an oil-weighted company by 2013.

Early indicators are pointing toward significant opportunities for coal-to-natural gas switching in the electric generation sector this year with gas prices estimated to stay in the $2.50-3.00/Mcf range, according to recent analyst notes. This situation will be particularly ripe in the East.

Recent investigations by FERC of interstate natural gas pipelines for significant over-earnings so far have been credit-neutral and the over-earnings are not likely to occur in the foreseeable future due to weaker market conditions, said Moody’s Investors Service in a new report.