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A wealth of previously unavailable information about oil and natural gas resources and activity in Wyoming is becoming available through the auspices of two state agencies.

Demand for heat exchangers to be used in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects around the world has prompted Air Products to construct a second heat exchanger manufacturing facility at a new location in Manatee County, FL, the company said.

A bet to procure a big reserve of guar gum, an additive used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluid, proved to be a costly mistake in the second quarter, Halliburton Co. CEO Dave Lesar told energy analysts on Monday.

As the Bakken and Eagle Ford shale plays have shown, oil and gas wells go up long before there are enough homes for all the workers who flock to the energy patch for high-paying jobs. A study released Tuesday intends to lay out a strategy for Eagle Ford counties in South Texas to meet regional housing needs over the next 10-15 years.

Consumers could save billions on their electric bills if utilities used more long-term contracts, rather than spot market purchases, for natural gas for power generation, according to the American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF), a nonprofit natural gas advocacy group.

Chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) have attracted the most attention from people wary of the well stimulation practice, but water consumption is another worry of fracking skeptics, as evidenced by to two recent reports.

One day after purchasing natural gas processing facilities and associated infrastructure in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, MarkWest Energy Partners LP said it plans to remain independent and will allocate more toward capital expenditures (capex) in 2012.

More than 70% of the offshore acres under lease to oil and natural gas producers are inactive, while 56% of onshore leases on public lands are not being used, according to an updated report from the Department of Interior. Producers quickly responded by accusing the Obama administration of using them as a “scapegoat” for its failed energy policies.

A district court judge in Texas has reversed his earlier ruling that oil and natural gas equipment used “below ground” should be exempt from state sales taxes on extraction equipment.