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More than 48% of natural gas production from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was shut in Monday as Tropical Storm Isaac, its projected path veering further west over the weekend and its power expected to increase to hurricane strength within the next 24 hours, moved ever closer to New Orleans.

Royal Dutch Shell plc plans to invest a minimum of $1 billion a year in unconventional natural gas exploration in China, the producer’s top China executive said this week.

Maintaining that Colorado’s water supply is too fragile to put at risk, a diverse coalition of more than 100 of the state’s business, conservation and sporting groups sent a letter of support Wednesday for a U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal to reduce the amount of land available for oil shale research and development.

The Interior Department Wednesday ended its overhaul of offshore safety practices brought about by Deepwater Horizon disaster a little more than two years ago, issuing a final rule on requirements for safety equipment, well control systems and blowout prevention (BOP) practices.

More than 60 members of Congress Tuesday wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar protesting the inclusion of Arctic sales in the federal government’s proposed five-year leasing plan for the Outer Continental Shelf.

Gastar Exploration Ltd. said net production from its Marcellus Shale assets has increased more than 34-fold in a year, a result of ramped up drilling activity in the liquids-rich portion of the play during the second quarter of 2012.

Gastar Exploration Ltd. said Wednesday net production from its Marcellus Shale assets have increased more than 34-fold in a year, a result of ramped up drilling activity in the liquids-rich portion of the play during the second quarter of 2012.

Houston-based Rosetta Resources Inc. grew net income and revenues during the second quarter, thanks to more production that was more heavily weighted to liquids. Where one goes to get that in Texas — as everyone knows — is the Eagle Ford Shale. As it continues to develop its core Gates Ranch area there, Rosetta is stepping out as well.

Plains All American Pipeline LP is wrapping up more than 145 miles of crude oil pipeline projects that are expected to add 200,000 b/d of takeaway capacity from the Bone Spring, Spraberry and Wolfberry producing areas in nine West Texas counties.