As a hedge against higher natural gas prices, a subsidiary of LSB Industries Inc., an Oklahoma-based chemical and equipment manufacturer, has bought an interest in a package of wells and potential drilling locations in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale.
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Wisconsin Eyeing Gas Growth, Utility CEO Says
Customer fuel-switching, growing gas-fired generation needs tied to more reliance on renewable power and pipeline infrastructure expansions in the western parts of the state have Wisconsin’s major combination utility anticipating a growing role for natural gas, according to the CEO of Wisconsin Energy (WE).
Industry Brief
A trial to determine various parties’ liability for BP plc’s Macondo well blowout in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, which destroyed Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon rig and killed 11 men, has been delayed until Feb. 25 from Jan. 14 in New Orleans. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier cited tourist events — the NFL Super Bowl and the Mardi Gras festival — that would keep New Orleans’ hotels booked. However, Barbier declined to delay a Nov. 8 hearing on a settlement BP reached with the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, which is composed of private parties (see Daily GPI, March 6). The tentative settlement for $7.8 billion would resolve a “substantial majority of legitimate economic loss and medical claims,” BP said.
EPA Petitioned for Oil, Gas Inclusion in Toxics Release Inventory
Seventeen environmental groups Wednesday filed a petition with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include the oil and gas extraction industry, particularly hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations, in its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting requirements.
GAO: Shale Development Risks ‘Unknown’
The extent of the risks associated with development of shale oil and natural gas is “unknown” because existing studies have not taken into account the potential long-term, cumulative effects of the activity, according to a new report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last Tuesday. The agency in a companion report did not make any recommendations to change environmental and public health requirements in light of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
Philadelphia Mayor Urges Industry to Build Public Confidence
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter welcomed the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) and the Shale Gas Insight 2012 Conference last week, but he warned the industry to do more to earn the public’s trust that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is safe.
No Slowing Down for North Dakota Drilling Boom
With its oil and liquids-rich play, the Bakken Shale in North Dakota keeps attracting prospective drilling operations even as the formation’s overall rig count has declined slightly since January, according to the state’s latest monthly statistics at the end of August.
Pittsburgh to File Brief, Back Act 13 Opponents in Court
Fresh from being told that portions of its drilling ordinance are incompatible with Act 13, the state’s new omnibus Marcellus Shale law, the city of Pittsburgh plans to support the law’s opponents in court and file an amicus curiae brief.
Research Seeking Biotechnology Treatment Solution for Frack Wastewater
A University of Minnesota research team is working on a biotechnology-based process to purify wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Backs Delaware River Basin Moratorium
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told attendees of a Philadelphia clean energy conference that he believes hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can be done safely, but added that he supports the de facto moratorium on drilling in the Delaware River Basin and would even back a genuine one.