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U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) has introduced three bills that would end the de facto moratorium on shallow water and deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), jump-start oil and natural gas lease sales and lift a ban on new offshore drilling.

The Maryland House of Delegates has approved a bill that would freeze the permitting of Marcellus Shale drilling until 2013 while state agencies review the results of various studies into Marcellus development and hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking), including a major study being performed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (see Shale Daily, Feb. 24).

After a delayed start pushed into mid-January (see Daily GPI, Jan. 19), TransCanada Corp. has its new 303-mile, 30-inch diameter Bison Pipeline operating at near 90% capacity bringing Rockies supplies to the Midwest via an interconnection with Northern Border Inc., a U.S.-based company executive told NGI Thursday.

The growing abundance of shale gas and liquids production is leading to a “paradigm shift” in the global oilfield services industry that should lead to business growth over the next two years, especially in the U.S. land market, FBR Capital analysts said in a new report.

After three years of increased exploration drilling and skyrocketing lease rates, Ohio should soon see Marcellus Shale development drilling, according to one state official.

MarkWest Energy Partners LP and MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC have announced an acquisition as well as an infrastructure development deal to serve EQT Corp. and other producers in Appalachia.

The attack of very cold weather that gave a strong price-boosting start to the cash market as the week began lost quite a bit of its bullish influence Tuesday. Even the previous day’s prompt-month futures gain of 13.9 cents and the lingering effect of widespread freezing lows were unable to keep cash numbers from mixed movement and staying close to either side of flat.

Faced with weather-related construction delays, the $600 million, 302-mile interstate Bison natural gas pipeline’s start has been delayed until some time in January, TransCanada Corp. said. The 30-inch diameter pipeline bids to bring Powder River Basin supplies to the Midwest.

There is very little not to like about shale gas from the perspective of Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), one of the largest electric utilities in the nation and the consumer of 2% of the nation’s annual natural gas demand and 17% of California’s demand. For SCE shale is a “game-changer” and a buffer against wholesale gas price spikes.