The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has begun a one-month scoping process to take comments on potential oil and natural gas lease sales across parts of Nevada and Utah. The Interior Department agency is reviewing potential auctions for up to 35 parcels in Nevada totaling 63,604 acres and 18 parcels in Utah totaling 31,808 acres.…
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Articles from Utah

Court Rejects Industry, Wyoming Challenge to Biden Administration’s Oil, Gas Lease Pause
The Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has broad authority to postpone oil and gas lease sales to address environmental concerns, a federal judge ruled in tossing one of several lawsuits filed by industry groups and GOP-led states. U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl of the District of Wyoming last Friday (Sept. 2) ruled…

Four Rocky Mountain States Proposing Regional Hydrogen Hub
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming may develop a regional hydrogen hub using a portion of $8 billion in funds from the Department of Energy (DOE). The states signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in February to potentially develop the Western Inter-State Hydrogen Hub (WISHH). The states also noted in the MOU they would apply…

Activity Rises in Permian, Eagle Ford as U.S. Rig Count Climbs on Oil Drilling
Increased activity in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale helped push the U.S. rig count nine units higher to 512 during the week ended Friday (Sept. 17), according to the latest data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR). A 10-rig increase in oil-directed drilling offset a one-rig decline in natural gas-directed rigs in the United…

Wyoming Groups Aiming to Speed Up Resumption of Federal Oil, Natural Gas Leasing
Wyoming’s two main oil and gas trade groups are seeking to expedite the resumption of oil and gas leases on federal property by the Department of the Interior (DOI). In a merits brief filed Aug. 30 in Wyoming District Court, the Western Energy Alliance and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) allege that DOI is…

Hydrogen-Natural Gas Plant Tracking to Bloom in Utah Desert
A project to transform a public sector coal-fired power plant in Delta, UT, into a combination hydrogen-natural gas generation facility that would move power to Los Angeles is being heralded as a breakthrough. Utah’s Intermountain Power Agency (IPA), which serves 21 municipal power utilities, contracted Mitsubishi-Hitachi Power Systems to build a gas turbine system to…

Oxy Takes $1.3B for Western Properties, Propels Permian Carbon Capture Project Forward
Occidental Petroleum Corp. on Wednesday padded its bottom line with a big deal to sell a bundle of western properties, while boosting another venture to develop a massive carbon capture facility in its No. 1 Lower 48 play, the Permian Basin. The Houston-based independent, better known as Oxy, agreed to sell some Colorado, Utah and…

BLM’s Utah Auction in March to Offer 25 Oil, Gas Leasing Parcels
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said Tuesday it is seeking public comment for a proposed quarterly oil and gas lease sale in March for Utah’s Green River District.
Opposition Growing for Los Angeles Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant
Plans by the city of Los Angeles to develop an 845 MW natural gas-fired power plant to replace a coal generation unit in Utah are facing increasing public opposition.
Rolling Rock Inks Farm-Out Deal on Uinta Assets
Utah pure-play Rolling Rock Resources LLC, a subsidiary of Calgary-based Fortem Resource Inc., has inked a deal to farm out a portion of its leasehold in the Mancos formation in Grand County, UT, with an undisclosed party.