Study

Research projects to study ways for improving the environmental performance of unconventional natural gas development are being sought by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), a facility of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy.

The oil and gas industry in the Eagle Ford Shale is growing so much that it is helping to create “entire communities” in some areas of South Texas, according to Kevin Robins, general manager of Job News USA in San Antonio.

A study conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has found that electric utilities are increasing their use of natural gas for power generation, which in turn is contributing to lowering the carbon footprint of the United States.

A study conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has found that electric utilities are increasing their use of natural gas for power generation, which in turn is contributing to lowering the carbon footprint of the United States.

A nonprofit environmental group recommends British Columbia keep a close eye on the shale gas industry, warning that expanding development in the Montney and Horn River shale plays could hamper the province’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and put stress on water sources.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is partnering with three universities in the state to conduct an economic impact study on shale development.

A pair of investment deals announced Wednesday would provide approximately $470 million for much-needed midstream infrastructure in North American shale plays.

West Virginia, which collected less than $55 million in severance taxes from natural gas operations last year, could see that number jump to nearly $120 million by 2016, thanks in large part to the state’s growing Marcellus Shale industry, according to Deputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow.

Bayer AG continues to discuss the lease or sale of acreage it owns in West Virginia for potential locations for ethane crackers, but at least one company has dropped out of those talks. “An affiliate of ours had been looking at a project in that area for an ethylene facility, but they are no longer doing that,” a spokesman for Houston-based PetroLogistics told NGI’s Shale Daily. In December, Bayer said a trio of sites it owns in industrial parks in New Martinsville, Institute and South Charleston, WV, totaling about 1,480 acres were available and would be ideal locations for thermal crackers (see Shale Daily, Dec. 23, 2010). Bayer wouldn’t discuss “speculation or market rumors” about possible deals, but has been in “serious discussions with several interested companies” that are looking at the West Virginia properties, Bayer spokesman Bryan Iams told NGI’s Shale Daily.