Ultimately

A public commission established earlier this year to guide Marcellus Shale policy in Pennsylvania is recommending that the state consider an impact fee on natural gas drillers and look at conservation statutes that include forced pooling, among 96 total recommendations.

Despite the promise of a veto from Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania lawmakers are pushing to get a tax or fee on Marcellus Shale development included in the state’s fiscal 2012 budget, which is due at the end of June.

New Jersey wants the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to ultimately oversee the approval process for natural gas well sites in the river basin, and is calling for a strict limit to the initial number of production wells to be drilled once it adopts regulations on hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking).

Quicksilver Resources Inc., which was one of the early entrants into the Horn River Basin of British Columbia (BC), has launched plans to create a midstream natural gas entity to support its 130,000 net-acre project.

Expressing confidence that his energy projects ultimately will win, a lead manager for Oregon’s proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and a related 234-mile natural gas transmission pipeline to interconnect with the regional gas grid told NGI that an ongoing state-federal fight in a district court in Eugene, OR, likely will not be resolved until mid-2011. In the meantime there are other permits that Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline will be pursuing that won’t be finished until the same time next year.

Saying he is sure his energy projects ultimately will win, a lead manager for Oregon’s proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and a related 234-mile natural gas transmission pipeline to interconnect with the regional gas grid told NGI Thursday that an ongoing state-federal fight in a district court in Eugene, OR, likely will not be resolved until mid-2011.

Capital expenditures (capex) may have been cut and commodity prices aren’t cooperating, but production at some of the largest U.S.-based independents grew in 2Q2009 from the year-ago period and sequentially from the first three months of this year, according to separate analyses.

The U.S. exploration and production (E&P) industry last year faced increased costs, a decline in year-end reserves and ultimately lower profits, but capital spending still was more than a third higher than in 2007 and natural gas reserves were up 4%, Ernst & Young LLP reported Thursday.

The U.S. exploration and production (E&P) industry last year faced increased costs, a decline in year-end reserves and ultimately lower profits, but capital spending still was more than a third higher than in 2007 and natural gas reserves were up 4%, Ernst & Young LLP reported Thursday.