Texas oil and natural gas regulators have surpassed legislative targets for fiscal year (FY) 2023, which included plugging 75% more orphaned wells than required with the support of federal funding. The Texas legislature sets annual targets for the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) to carry out a certain number of pipeline inspections and wellhead inspections,…
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Articles from Wells
North Dakota Poised for Production Bump with More Natural Gas Takeaway Needed, Officials Say
Well completion activity is on the rise in North Dakota, likely heralding a surge in oil and gas production and underscoring the need for more natural gas egress capacity, state regulators said Friday (July 14). Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) Director Lynn Helms and North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad held a press conference…
Oklahoma Shuts In Disposal Wells, Calls for E&Ps to Reduce Wastewater Following Tremors
After a series of earthquakes recently erupted near Oklahoma’s Arbuckle formation, state regulators have called for oil and gas operators to reduce well wastewater, affecting 23 disposal wells. A 4.0 magnitude and a few smaller magnitude earthquakes hit Carney, OK, earlier this month. The tremors led the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s (OCC) Oil and Gas Conservation…
EQT Developing ‘Next Generation’ of Unconventional Wells in Appalachia
EQT Corp. now expects the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) to come online in 2023, which could help narrow its natural gas price differentials and ease Appalachian takeaway constraints, but management acknowledged last week that the “specter of timing” continues to loom over the project. EQT has capacity booked on the system and a stake in…
Lower 48 to Grow Oil, Natural Gas Output in February; DUCs Draw Down in Late 2021
U.S. onshore plays are set to increase both natural gas and oil output from January to February, with the gains set to follow a further drawdown in drilled but uncompleted (DUC) wells to close out 2021, according to updated modeling from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Natural gas production from seven key U.S. producing regions…
North Dakota Oil, Natural Gas Production Slips in October
Oil and natural gas production in North Dakota, home to the Bakken Shale, slipped in October versus September. Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) director Lynn Helms issued the monthly Director’s Cut on Friday, which provides information about all of the wells capable of producing, as well as permit activity. Natural gas production in October averaged…
New Mexico Well Cleanup Opportunity Seen as Potentially ‘Tremendous’ Boost to Economy
New Mexico’s economy could get a significant boost if oil and gas producers were to promptly remediate the unplugged oil and gas wells on state trust and private lands, according to economic research firm O’Donnell Economics. A cleanup effort would pump $8.2 billion into the New Mexico economy and support 65,337 job years, or the…
Wells Drilled Before 2018 Tested for Leaks in Colorado, New Mexico and Pennsylvania
Public data from three big producing states has found that some wells drilled before 2018, particularly directional wells used often in unconventional plays, may have integrity issues that could cause internal leaks. Led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the new report compiled more than 470,000 regulatory records…
Biden Looking to Overhaul Nation’s Power Grid, Transit Systems in Historic Infrastructure Plan
President Biden on Wednesday asked Congress for a massive infusion of funding to overhaul the nation’s power grids and expand renewable energy as part of a landmark program designed to fight climate change and expand American jobs. The estimated $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, if enacted by a split Congress, would be the most ambitious…
California Oil, Gas Drilling Hits Historic Lows in 2020
New oil and natural gas drilling hit historic lows in California last year while a renewed emphasis on abandoned wells turned up a record high number of permanently sealed wells, the state Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) reported Wednesday. The severe downturn in permitting and new drilling can be seen as a result of the…