West

Elected leaders in Garfield County in west-central Colorado on Monday agreed to have university researchers proceed with a study of the emissions from natural gas drilling operations in parts of the nearby Piceance Basin. County commissioners directed staff to develop a draft agreement with Colorado State University (CSU) researchers for consideration when the commission meets again in September.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said Monday it has launched its fourth study in about two years to monitor air quality and determine potential impacts of Marcellus Shale activities, this time in the southwestern part of the state.

Ground has been broken for the Frontier Oasis, a 112-bed workforce housing camp in Karnes County, TX. It is to open in September four miles West of Kenedy, TX, along Farm Route 2102. The flat rate all-inclusive camp will offer Eagle Ford Shale workers three all-you-can-eat meals per day; to-go sack lunches; housekeeping and laundry services, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities; high-definition television and wireless internet; and an on-site general store. Karnes County currently leads the booming Eagle Ford in drilling rigs, and the camp is expected to play a major role in providing much-needed housing, food and laundry services for the operators and service companies in the area. The commercial buildings for the project will be provided by Houston-based Teton Buildings LLC. Bryan, TX-headquartered Frontier Oilfield Solutions will be constructing and operating the camp. A recent study identified housing as a critical need for Eagle Ford workers and area residents (see Shale Daily, July 11).

Pennsylvania midstream operator UGI Energy Services Inc. on Wednesday launched plans to replace the diesel now powering its Marcellus Shale drilling fleet with liquefied natural gas (LNG). UGI’s plan mirrors a pilot initiated by EQT Corp. earlier this month to convert its Marcellus diesel rigs (see Shale Daily, July 6).

FERC Friday issued a favorable environmental assessment (EA) to Dominion Transmission Inc.’s proposal to expand its storage system in Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The venerable Permian Basin in West Texas is in the “early innings” of an oil/gas renaissance that promises to be technology driven, riding the wave of horizontal drilling, which still represents only a quarter of Permian rig activity, according to a report released Monday by Houston-based financial services company U.S. Capital Advisors.

The venerable Permian Basin in West Texas is in the “early innings” of an oil/gas renaissance that promises to be technology driven, riding the wave of horizontal drilling, which still represents only a quarter of Permian rig activity, according to a report released Monday by Houston-based financial services company U.S. Capital Advisors.

Adding to its already significant holdings in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southern New Mexico, Concho Resources Inc. on Monday agreed to acquire all the oil and natural gas assets of Three Rivers Operating Co. and affiliated entities for $1 billion in cash.

The Permian Basin in West Texas is the main engine driving Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) to record oil/gas production levels as its overseas operations continue to struggle in the Middle East/North Africa and Colombia, CEO Stephen Chazen said Thursday.