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DCP Midstream’s Sand Hills Pipeline has initiated natural gas liquids transport service from the Eagle Ford Shale. DCP is opening Sand Hills in phases, with this first segment in South Texas online. By the end of 2012, DCP will have completed Sand Hills to connect directly into Mont Belvieu, TX. “When finished, Sand Hills Pipeline will be a major link between the liquids-rich Eagle Ford and Permian producing regions and growing Gulf Coast markets,” said DCP CEO Tom O’Connor. Construction activities continue on the second phase of Sand Hills for Permian Basin service. This phase is expected to enter service by the second quarter of 2013. Sand Hills will consist of 720 miles of 20-inch diameter pipeline with an initial capacity of more than 200,000 b/d, which can grow to 350,000 b/d with the installation of additional pump stations (see Shale Daily, Aug. 19, 2011).

Boulder County, CO, officials may need to keep in place longer than expected a moratorium on the processing of development plans for oil and gas permits. County Planning Commission members said Wednesday they need more time to complete new regulations meant to address potential public health and environmental impacts of oil and gas exploration in unincorporated areas of the county, according to news reports. In February Boulder County commissioners passed a resolution that placed a moratorium on accepting applications until Feb. 4, 2013. The Planning Commission asked the Board of County Commissioners to extend the moratorium by three to six months. Government officials from around Colorado have challenged the state’s authority to regulate energy operations (see Shale Daily, Sept. 24; Aug. 17). The state maintains exclusive jurisdiction in this area under the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

The city council in Youngstown, OH, voted 5-2 Wednesday in favor of an ordinance that could open city-owned land to oil and natural gas drilling.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments this week in a controversial mineral rights case that could have enormous implications over ownership rights in the Marcellus Shale.

The government of Poland plans to issue draft rules covering shale gas extraction within a week, the next step to help the country take advantage of what may be vast quantities of natural gas, authorities said Tuesday.

The Utica Shale holds an estimated 38 Tcf of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas, or less than half that of the Marcellus Shale, according to the first assessment of the Appalachian Basin play by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). An estimated 940 million bbl of unconventional oil resources and 9 million bbl of natural gas liquids (NGL) also are trapped in Utica rock, said scientists Thursday.

The average natural gas customer’s bill might rise 7% during the upcoming 2012-2013 heating season due to colder weather than last winter, said the American Gas Association (AGA) Thursday.

The Utica Shale holds an estimated 38 Tcf of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas, or less than half that of the Marcellus Shale, according to the first assessment of the Appalachian Basin play by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). An estimated 940 million bbl of unconventional oil resources and 9 million bbl of natural gas liquids (NGL) also are trapped in Utica rock, said scientists.

Telvent, a Canadian firm whose software systems and services are used to remotely manage more than half of the oil and gas pipelines in North America and Latin America, last Wednesday confirmed a security breach involving the project files of some of its customers.