Bakken Shale

Newfield Exploration Co. said its year-over-year (y/y) oil production rose more than 30% during the second quarter of 2014, led by gains in the Anadarko Basin but also due in part to success with wells targeting that Uinta Basin participating in its super extended laterals (SXL) program.

With unconfirmed reports of a hold being placed on requests to export crude oil condensates by the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on Tuesday continued her call for the agency to loosen restrictions on condensate exports.

In what is a mixed bag for the oil and railroad industries, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Wednesday unveiled proposed rules to improve the transport of crude oil via rail, proposing enhanced tank car design specifications, fuel classification and operational requirements for handling crude.

Firefighters were allowing a massive fire at the Red River Oilfield Service Co.’s facilities in the Williston Basin to burn late Tuesday as North Dakota state health officials monitored the situation.

Florida-based CSX Corp. senior executives on Wednesday underscored the continuing growth in the amount of crude oil being shipped by rail and voiced concerns about proposed federal regulations that would drop average train speeds in response to a series of tank car accidents in the past 18 months (see Shale Daily, Aug. 22, 2013).

Drilling has begun near a small town in central South Dakota to develop shale core samples as part of a research project between the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and RESPEC, a Rapid City, SD-based engineering consulting company.

New ways to drill old basins in North America is piquing the interest of energy analysts, who will be looking for insight into capital spending plans through the rest of 2014, and whether more mergers and public offerings are coming during 2Q2014 earnings presentations.

In the wake of several accidents involving crude oil from the Bakken Shale, environmental groups have filed a petition asking the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue an emergency order banning the use of older railcars to transport oil from the play.

Fresh from becoming the largest Bakken producer through a pending multi-billion-dollar acquisition, Whiting Petroleum Corp.’s exploration/development (E&P) senior executive said Wednesday the North Dakota shale play has reached full development phase, while the Niobrara Shale in Colorado may eventually hold twice as many energy resources.