E&P

Rex Energy Corp. said Monday that its estimated proved reserves exceeded 1 Tcfe, thanks in large part to its core operating areas in eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, where the company has reported increasing success in the last year or so (see Shale Daily, Jan. 16).

Life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from natural gas-fueled power plants are the same whether they are fueled with gas from shale or conventional basins, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Pennsylvania’s Auditor General on Tuesday released a scathing 158-page report criticizing the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for failing to keep pace with the breakneck rate of oil and gas development in the Marcellus Shale. It proposed dozens of fixes to improve regulatory oversight.

Operations at oil and natural gas wells in Pennsylvania harmed water supplies more than 200 times between December 2007 and May of this year, according to data compiled by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

A rich Alberta shale formation — the Duvernay, which is renowned for high concentrations of premium liquids — has been designated as a regulatory proving ground for a new fracking regime of accelerated drilling licenses, environmental permits and public consultation.

The head of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) said the agency needs $1 million to hire seven additional conservation officers in order to patrol waterways in the Marcellus Shale to look for oil and gas polluters.

Antero Resources Corp. said Friday it produced 891 MMcfe/d in the second quarter, a 94% year-over-year increase that set a company record and passed the milestone of 1 Bcfe/d of net production.

The North American land drilling market will move toward a general contractor model for oilfield services, a big reason that Schlumberger Ltd. has begun allying with other drilling services, CEO Paal Kibsgaard said Friday.

Newfield Exploration Co. raised 2014 production guidance and capital spending, reflecting growing momentum company-wide, the company said Thursday. Second quarter production of 12.1 million boe beat the midpoint of previous guidance by about 1 million boe.