Writing

Suncor Energy Inc. is writing off $1.5 billion of the investment in the centerpiece of its $20.6 billion oilsands expansion, the Voyageur Upgrader, which would turn heavy bitumen into light oil, in part because of stunning production growth in U.S. oil shales.

Natural gas bulls already have seen the writing on the wall for exploration and production (E&P) companies’ earnings reports for 1Q2012. Minus those with gas hedging programs or an already solid turn to liquids and oil basins, it’s not going to be a pretty picture.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for a unanimous court on Wednesday in a decision that holds implications for natural gas and oil leaseholds, made clear that access to the courts is the proper response to the “strong-arming of regulated parties” by government agencies.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for a unanimous court in a decision that holds implications for natural gas and oil leaseholds, made clear last week that access to the courts is the proper response to the “strong-arming of regulated parties” by government agencies.

Looking to increase natural gas demand, Pennsylvania is pushing for more drivers to convert vehicles to run on the fuel. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published a guidance document late last month arguing that vehicle conversion is allowed under the state’s existing emissions standards.

Labor, oil and natural gas officials have called on the chairmen of the House and Senate tax-writing committees to support tax policies that promote job development in the oil and gas industry, and bolster the nation’s energy and economic security.

The writing is on the wall for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Canada and it spells growth, according to the National Energy Board (NEB). In approving Emera Brunswick Pipeline, the NEB called it a step to use LNG to secure the northeastern United States as an “anchor market” for continued development of gas service on both the American and Canadian Atlantic seaboard.

The writing is on the wall for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Canada and it spells growth, according to the National Energy Board (NEB). In approving Emera Brunswick Pipeline, the NEB called it a step to use LNG to secure the northeastern United States as an “anchor market” for continued development of gas service on both the American and Canadian Atlantic seaboard.

As the oil and natural gas industries took a beating in the Senate and House tax-writing committees this week, Reps. John Peterson (R-PA) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) provided producers a ray of optimism. The two lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that would remove the congressional ban on natural gas exploration and production in much of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).