Wants

A bipartisan group of 44 U.S. representatives from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas wants the Department of Energy (DOE) to expedite approval of applications to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to a letter sent to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu last Tuesday.

ConocoPhillips has begun initial development on the “potentially impactful” Mancos Shale in the San Juan Basin, which has the potential to be a producer “for years and years,” CEO Ryan Lance said Wednesday.

As producers turned up the volume on their opposition to the federal government’s regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on public lands, they caught a break in the long-awaited proposed rule that Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued Friday.

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) wants the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) to turn over 13 documents related to the imposition of the May 2010 moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), contending that Interior has blocked the acting OIG from releasing documents to the committee.

Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp. eschewed all talk on Wednesday that its North American onshore properties are anything but stellar by announcing a $1 billion increase to the 2012 capital spending budget, with nearly all of the money to be focused on exploration efforts in the company’s in-house unconventional portfolio.

American Honda Motor Co., which bills itself as the only automaker selling natural gas-powered passenger cars in the United States, wants to double its sales of its compressed natural gas (CNG) Civicmodel, which is built in Indiana. To boost sales it is going to establish CNG fueling stations in some of its dealerships, particularly in California. The automaker said it is negotiating with California regulators about developing more fueling stations in dealerships in a state that represents the nation’s biggest CNG vehicle market. The company said it is usually not Honda’s role to create infrastructure, but in this case a “chicken and egg” situation exists, “and we’re going to have to nurse the egg along.”

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) on Monday published hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operating practices for shale and tight natural gas development to improve water management, as well as water and fluids reporting, across the country.

Corbett wants an impact fee, but his proposal is closer to the House version. Still, following the Senate vote, he offered limited praise for the measure, calling it “a significant step forward toward finalizing a strong and sensible Marcellus Shale legislative package…While productive discussions are ongoing and continue to resolve the various issues related to the Marcellus Shale, [Wednesday’s] action reaffirms the strong commitment of the Senate to achieve out common goals of safe and responsible natural gas development in Pennsylvania.”

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Friday reiterated the importance of natural gas to the Obama administration’s energy and job-creation programs. Salazar said his department is very active in efforts to boost gas development both on and offshore in the United States.