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Responding to complaints that its findings were biased in favor of drilling, a consulting firm that studied the socioeconomic impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in New York has been asked to go back and do more research.

January natural gas crept higher Tuesday as medium-term weather outlooks called for an uncertain cold spell and analysts admitted difficulty discerning natural gas’ next move. At the close January had added 2.6 cents to $3.487 and February had gained 3.3 cents to $3.523. January crude oil rose 29 cents to $101.28/bbl.

Atlas Pipeline Partners LP (APL) struck a long-term, fee-based agreement with ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. to provide gas gathering and processing services for up to an incremental 60 MMcf/d from the Woodford Shale region of Oklahoma to its Velma processing facility in Velma, OK. The agreement supports APL’s planned 60 MMcf/d expansion of its Velma system. The cryogenic facility is expected to enter service in mid-2012. XTO would use the expanded facility, which would have capacity of 160 MMcf/d after the expansion is completed.

January natural gas gave back almost all of Tuesday’s 10.8-cent gain as traders see little in the way of near-term weather cold enough in key markets to have a material market impact. At the close January had retreated 8.3 cents to $3.550 and February shed 7.5 cents to $3.578. January crude oil closed over the century mark, posting a gain of 57 cents to $100.36/bbl.

December natural gas fell Monday as pervasive forecasts of near-term warming prompted traders to follow the course of funds and managed accounts and market bulls were kept on the defensive. At the close December had fallen 8.7 cents to $3.696 and January had dropped 8.9 cents to $3.803. December crude oil gained $1.26 to $95.52/bbl.

The Senate late Thursday confirmed Mark P. Wetjen, former policy adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), to a five-year term on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), succeeding departing Commissioner Michael Dunn.

An apparent uptick in approved permits in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has boosted investor enthusiasm about the near-term prospects for offshore activity but the backlog of permits issued but not yet drilled paints a different picture, according to an analysis by FBR Capital Markets.

El Paso Corp.’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. (TGP) has struck two long-term contracts for service on its MPP project, which is intended to improve takeaway capacity from the Marcellus Shale through expansion of TGP’s 300 Line in Pennsylvania.

The boom in natural gas shale exploration and production (E&P) is fueling “significant cost advantages” for North America’s commodity chemicals producers because the costs of gas and oil-based feedstocks remain far apart, according to a report by Fitch Ratings.