Thinking

America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) is launching a nationwide advertising campaign designed to get people thinking and talking about their energy choices, and to see natural gas as a “foundational fuel.” The ad campaign will be “very visible,” with television and online components, as well as personal outreach through ANGA customer groups, said spokesman Dan Whitten. It would be the first major public outreach since Martin J. Durbin was named president and CEO (see NGI, April 1). Durbin had been executive vice president of government affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, where he led advocacy efforts on behalf of the oil and gas industry. Former president and CEO Regina Hopper resigned in February under pressure from the board (see NGI, Feb. 11).

America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) plans to begin a nationwide advertising campaign Monday designed to get people thinking and talking about their energy choices, and to see natural gas as a “foundational fuel.”

Energen Corp. management said the first quarter of 2013 was “both encouraging and challenging” as test wells in the Third Bone Spring and Wolfberry formations of the Permian Basin performed well, but cold weather and interference issues worked against the company as profits fell slightly.

Regulators in Alaska are proposing a comprehensive set of rules to govern hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state, and will accept public comments on the proposals through early February, when a public hearing is also scheduled.

Two and a half million gallons sounds like a lot of water, and producers can use that much and more to stimulate a well with hydraulic fracturing (fracking), but other uses consume a lot more, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson told an audience on the Council on Foreign Relations Wednesday.

Pennsylvania will end another year without an impact fee on natural gas drilling in the Marcellus and Utica shales.

If the only newspaper you read is The New York Times, you could be forgiven for thinking that all the news about hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is bad. Still, the good news about fracking — energy security, economic development and jobs — is often drowned out by environmental worries, former commodities trader, analyst, energy author and New Yorker Raymond Learsy told NGI.

If the only newspaper you read is The New York Times, you could be forgiven for thinking that all the news about hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is bad. Still, the good news about fracking — energy security, economic development and jobs — is often drowned out by environmental worries, former commodities trader, analyst, energy author and New Yorker Raymond Learsy told NGI’s Shale Daily.

April natural gas futures managed to hold on to Thursday’s gains and closed slightly higher Friday, although traders are still thinking prices will eventually head back down to the mid $3 area. By the close of trading April futures had risen 1.0 cent to $4.168 and May had gained 1.2 cents to $4.246. April crude oil shed 35 cents to $101.07/bbl.