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If the United States were to let loose on the global market some of its bellyful of natural gas reserves, the effect on markets here and abroad as well as on the environment would be modest pretty much across the board, a year-long study of potential liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports by the Brookings Institution has concluded.

A two-phase approach to the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries should result in a new line from Oklahoma to the Gulf being in place sometime next year, with the XL phase from Canada to Nebraska following by early 2015, the CEO of the project’s sponsor, TransCanada Corp., said Friday. The latter is the only part of the project now requiring a federal Presidential Permit from the U.S. State Department.

The Eagle Ford Shale will drive a 15% increase in onshore gas production from the Texas Gulf Coast by November, offsetting declines elsewhere in Texas, according to Bentek Energy LLC. The firm said it expects Texas to be “increasingly long gas in the near term as Eagle Ford production growth continues to outpace demand,” putting downward pressure on regional prices. According to Bentek’s Texas Observer, the state’s supply is up by 1 Bcf/d, or 5%, from a year ago, with the increase driven by growth in onshore production. Demand is up only 0.6 Bcf/d over the same period, according to Bentek. “Due to the combination of Marcellus [Shale] pushback and milder winter weather, net Texas outflows have declined nearly 0.4 Bcf/d since this time last year. As a result, Texas is currently 0.8 Bcf/d longer supply than year-to-date 2011,” Bentek said.

The prospects for expanding natural gas exploration and production (E&P) on federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in eastern Utah were given a boost by the federal agency on Friday, although the action drew strong opposition from environmental groups concerned about the impact on a rugged wilderness area.

Small pipeline projects intended to achieve big increases in Canadian imports of shale gas from the United States were launched last Tuesday in Ontario by Union Gas Ltd. and Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc.

Small pipeline projects intended to achieve big increases in Canadian imports of shale gas from the United States were launched Tuesday in Ontario by Union Gas Ltd. and Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc.

Preliminary data released indicates that North Dakota oil and gas production continued to soar in January and the state now ranks third nationally in average daily oil production, surpassing California and following only Texas and Alaska. With the Bakken formation, North Dakota continues to ride the shale boom.

Natural gas prices are going to stay low “for quite a while,” and producers are just going to have to deal with it; after all, it’s their fault, Southwestern Energy CEO Steven Mueller told a Houston audience Wednesday.

If there were any more proof needed that there’s too much gas in the Marcellus Shale region and it needs to get out, the industry got it last week with the announcement of two pipeline projects — estimated to cost about $1 billion each — that would carry Marcellus supplies to greener markets.