Strengthen

Because of production growth in U.S. oilfields, Calgary’s Suncor Energy has thrown in the towel on the centerpiece of its long-planned, $20 billion oilsands expansion, the Voyageur Upgrader.

The potential of the New Albany Shale is still unproven, industry officials said.

States and producers Monday called on the Obama administration to either withdraw or suspend a proposed rule that would require companies to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations on federal and Indian lands. Environmental and conservation groups lobbied for the federal government to tighten the rule.

Nova Scotia said it will extend its review of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) until mid-2014, enacting a moratorium on the practice for at least another two years.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a proposal seeking to strengthen the federal-state relationship with respect to pipeline damage prevention, as well as the enforcement process.

Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. last week announced two shale patch deals intended to strengthen its balance sheet and capture opportunities from growing liquids-rich gas production.

The Interior Department last Tuesday issued a proposed rule that aims to strengthen offshore workplace safety and environmental reforms that it issued nearly a year ago.

The Interior Department Tuesday issued a proposed rule that aims to strengthen offshore workplace safety and environmental reforms that it issued nearly a year ago.

ExxonMobil Corp. and Russia’s OAO Rosneft said Tuesday they have forged an agreement to jointly explore and develop projects in North America, including the tight oilfields of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), as well as in Russia and other countries around the world. The two oil giants also agreed to share technology in the wide-ranging transaction.