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Bills that would change West Virginia’s regulation of Marcellus Shale drilling — stripped of forced pooling language and proposing smaller increases to horizontal permitting fees than previously considered — were passed Thursday by House and Senate committees in the state’s legislature in Charleston.

Leading House opponents of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) said their nearly year-long investigation revealed that oil and natural gas service companies have continued to use diesel fuel to produce shale gas without receiving regulatory approval.

Chevron Corp. could make a bigger push into U.S. unconventional plays once the acquisition of shale operator Atlas Energy Inc. is completed, CEO John Watson said Friday.

Natural gas futures staged a meager rebound on Wednesday as expectations for Thursday’s natural gas storage report were for a smaller-than-normal injection. The August contract recorded a low of $4.477 before closing the regular session at $4.616, up 6.8 cents from Tuesday’s finish.

Gains tended to be smaller than those on Friday, but they still occurred again at all points Monday. Although high temperatures are receding to less than 80 degrees in Canada and much of the northern U.S., they will still be reaching the low to high 90s area in the South and Midcontinent Tuesday and surpassing the century mark in parts of the desert Southwest.

Sparked by Thursday’s smaller-than-expected natural gas storage build and backed by Friday’s news that the number of U.S. rigs searching for gas declined for the first time in 17 weeks, May natural gas futures rallied to end the week.

Sparked by Thursday’s smaller-than-expected natural gas storage build and backed by Friday’s news that the number of U.S. rigs searching for gas declined for the first time in 17 weeks, May natural gas futures rallied to end the week.

While unconventional resources are playing a large role in the gas market, unconventional liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to have a much smaller part on the world gas stage, according to consultant Wood Mackenzie.

While unconventional resources are playing a large role in the gas market, unconventional liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to have a much smaller part on the world gas stage, according to consultant Wood Mackenzie.