Third

Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase 13,500 net acres in the Bakken Shale play from an undisclosed private oil and gas company for about $235 million in cash. It also agreed to assume the terms of a contract for its sixth drilling rig.

Bolstered by Tuesday’s 9.5-cent gain in October futures, cash market averages across most of the country remained in the plus column for the third straight day Wednesday with a vast majority of points adding less than a dime. The recent stretch of price strength has market watchers scratching their heads for answers.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved $100 million for its third annual alternative transportation investment plan, including nearly half of the budgeted funds going toward natural gas and biofuel transportation programs. The funding follows $259 million spent since the 2008-09 fiscal year under the same CEC-administered program.

Ruby Pipeline, which ramped up late last month, is the third of five major pipeline projects El Paso Corp. will complete this year as it prepares to spin off its exploration and production (E&P) business, CEO Doug Foshee told financial analysts on Thursday.

The Northeast rejoined the overall market in recording mostly moderate losses Tuesday. Heat levels across most of the southern third of the U.S. are remaining somewhat onerous, but highs in the 80s or less continue to dampen cooling load.

Australia’s BHP Billiton Ltd. has offered to buy shale patch pioneer Petrohawk Energy Corp. for $12.1 billion in a deal that would more than double unit BHP Billiton Petroleum’s resource base and grow proved reserves by about 30%, it said. Petrohawk shares took flight on the news as investors also delivered uplift to a flock of the company’s peers.

Calgary-based Progress Energy Resources Corp.’s chief executive said Thursday the company has found a “critical” partner to help market its natural gas in the Montney Shale of British Columbia after securing Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) in a joint venture (JV) valued at about C$1.07 billion.

Calgary-based Progress Energy Resources Corp. on Thursday agreed to sell a half interest in some Montney Shale properties in British Columbia to Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) for C$1.07 billion. Opportunities to develop liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity from the province also are on the table.

In its third regional report over the past year, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) found compounds of natural gas constituents near natural gas operations in Bradford, Lycoming and Tioga counties, but none at any level that would trigger health issues.