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Shale and other unconventional resource plays are getting their own information clearinghouse at the University at Buffalo (UB) College of Arts and Sciences geology department

A unit of Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) has a tentative agreement with Port of Corpus Christi, TX, administrators to acquire a major portion of the former U.S. Naval Station Ingleside. Oxy’s Ingleside Property Holdings LLC would acquire more than 1,200 acres for $82.1 million. Completion of the deal is subject to approval of the Port Corpus Christi commission and the company’s board. “Definitely, Eagle Ford Shale is part of the opportunity that plays into this strategic investment,” Paul Thomas, manager of Oxy Chem’s existing Ingleside, TX, plant told the Corpus Christi Caller Times. An Oxy spokesman would not provide additional information when contacted by NGI’s Shale Daily.

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said a “remarkable” increase in the number of earthquakes in the Midcontinent region is more than likely from injection wells that handle wastewater from oil and natural gas drilling.

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP said it will expand the natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator complex at its Sweeny Plant in Old Ocean, TX. Construction is to begin in April for completion in February. The expansion will increase capacity by about 22,000 b/d, or 19%. “One of the main drivers for the project is the rapid development of natural gas, crude oil and NGLs from the shale formations in the region,” said Martin Dale, feedstock procurement manager for Chevron Phillips Chemical. “This expansion positions Chevron Phillips Chemical to take additional raw NGL product from the Eagle Ford and Permian basins and ultimately convert the NGLs into products for consumer and commercial use.” The fractionation unit at Sweeny was built in the 1960s and is composed of two trains with current capacity of 116,000 b/d.

What would you call a lot of natural gas, ready at a moment’s notice? Some might call it a storage facility. Others might call it the Marcellus Shale.

What would you call a lot of natural gas, ready at a moment’s notice? Some might call it a storage facility. Others might call it the Marcellus Shale.

A bill advancing through the Kansas Legislature would amend existing regulatory law and give the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) explicit authority over hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

The shale gas industry contributed $76.8 billion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and supported more than 600,000 jobs in 2010, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg, according to a report issued Wednesday by the World Economic Forum (WEF) at IHS CERAWeek 2012 in Houston.

Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) recently appointed George Jugovic Jr. president and CEO. Jugovic replaces Jan Jarrett, who resigned after 13 years with the statewide environmental organization. Jugovic previously served as a senior attorney for PennFuture. Before joining the organization, he served as the southwest regional director for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in Pittsburgh.