Marcellus

Chesapeake Energy Corp. is awaiting approval by the courts of a proposed $7.5 million settlement to resolve claims that a unit improperly charged Pennsylvania leaseholders post-production fees, a spokesman said Tuesday.

More than one year after creating a subcommittee to study hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and develop a consensus for best practices, ASTM International has proposed a new standard for data management and reporting that would cover oil and gas operations in shale plays.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved a Sunoco Pipeline LP request to abandon a portion of its petroleum products pipeline transportation service in the state, moving Sunoco Logistics Partners LP’s plans for the Mariner East pipeline project one step closer to fruition.

Citing the quality of Range Resources Corp.’s reserve base, Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday upgraded the Houston-based company’s corporate family rating to “Ba1” from “Ba2” and its senior subordinate rating to “Ba2” from “Ba3.”

A short-term air sampling effort from a natural gas compressor that was conducted in July by the Pennsylvania Department of Protection (DEP) found no air emission levels that would pose a health concern, contrary to concerns raised earlier this year by the state’s Clean Air Council (CAC).

In a bid to loosen the natural gas capacity constraints that are plaguing the Marcellus Shale region and wreaking havoc on associated pricing points, upgrades in the form of pipeline loops and compression upgrades are coming online virtually every week.

The New York Court of Appeals on Thursday agreed to review two lawsuits that protest bans on unconventional drilling, and specifically hydraulic fracturing (fracking), that were imposed by Middlefield and Dryden, Southern Tier municipalities that top the Marcellus Shale.

Consol Energy Inc. COO Randy Albert is the new chairman of the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), taking the helm from David Spigelmyer until the current term ends in late November, MSC spokesman Travis Windle toldNGI’s Shale Daily.

A rulemaking designed to strengthen environmental protection performance standards governing the natural gas industry has been given a cautionary green light by Pennsylvania regulators, with the final outcome to be determined following an extended public comment period.