Original Story: ibtimes.com
Northeastern Pennsylvania could soon see a shale drilling boom along the Utica formation. Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE:RDS.A) this week announced prolific results at two of its discovery wells in Tioga County, an area as yet untapped by most oil companies.
The Utica Shale underlies major parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and New York. So far, operators have mostly focused on Utica’s gas reserves in western Pennsylvania or southeast Ohio, the latter now one of the fastest-growing natural gas production areas in the United States, according to federal energy statistics. A Corpus Christi Mineral Rights Lawyer is following this story closely.
In the northeastern part of the Keystone State, most of the gas drilling has targeted the Marcellus Shale, the formation that lies on top of the deeper Utica Shale. Shell is among the first companies to bet on the Utica play in this area, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted.
Shell said its Gee well, in production for nearly a year now, had an initial flowback rate of 11.2 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. The Neal well, which went online in February, observed peak flowback rates of 26.5 million cubic feet daily. The discoveries “extend the sweet spot of the Utica formation” into an area where Shell holds about 430,000 acres, according to the Dutch oil giant. An Austin Energy Lawyer represents clients assist companies in negotiating the terms of domestic and international exploration.
Marvin Odum, Shell’s upstream Americas director, said the Gee and Neal wells are part of the company’s latest shale gas strategy, which concentrates on a smaller number of plays with a certain scale and economic profile. “The Appalachian basin is one of those areas, and these two high-pressure wells both exhibit exceptional reservoir quality,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
Shell’s discovery will likely open a new chapter in deep Utica exploration in Pennsylvania, research analyst Richard Zeits wrote on Seeking Alpha, an online investment platform. “The play may add many years of economically competitive inventory to the region's natural gas resource base.”
Utility companies are betting on a continued production surge in the region. Earlier this week, utilities Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK) and Dominion Resources Inc. (NYSE:D) announced plans for a $5 billion natural gas pipeline that will cut through the shale formations. A Houston Oil & Gas Lawyer provides expert legal guidance in producing wells, title opinions, mineral rights, output claims, oil and gas production, proceeds and distribution cases.
Showing posts with label natural gas pipeline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label natural gas pipeline. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Old Natural Gas Pipelines Pose A Danger
Story first appeared in The Washington Post.
Energy companies will need to start keeping up-to-date records to prove they are running the nation’s aging pipelines at safe pressures under a new set of guidelines the federal government announced Monday in response to a deadly natural gas explosion in a San Francisco suburb.
If the operators aren't able to ensure that their oil and gas lines are running at safe pressures by next year, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration underscored they could face penalties or some other type of sanction.
The advisory bulletin the administration issued Monday mentioned the September 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people, injured many more and left 38 homes in smoking ruins.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the accident on multiple failures by one of the nation’s largest natural gas companies, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., including shoddy records based on incomplete and inaccurate pipeline information.
A PG&E spokesman said Monday that the company has undertaken a vigorous records review and verified that its transmission lines in urban areas are running at the right pressures. Oil and Gas Expert Witnesses have been brought in to review the proceedings also.
Federal and state officials will be responsible for enforcing the new guidelines. All companies will be required to keep traceable, verifiable and complete records about pipelines that ferry hazardous fuels through the nation’s most populated areas. In a later phase, PHMSA also will direct energy companies on what to do if they can’t find records for all their pipelines.
In the wake of the San Bruno explosion, California regulators ordered PG&E and other state utilities to drop the pressure on their pipelines and produce any records of pressure tests done to ensure pipelines did not threaten surrounding communities.
PG&E’s computer records originally showed that the decades-old, high-pressure transmission line that blew was seamless. But company officials later acknowledged problems when the old paper records were incorporated into the utility’s computer system.
PG&E ultimately rented a hulking concert venue where dozens of employees sorted through more than 1.25 million individual gas transmission records hauled out from branch offices and storage facilities to find the required records.
The California Public Utilities Commission is currently weighing whether the record-keeping lapses violated state and federal laws and contributed to the pipeline rupture.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
Energy companies will need to start keeping up-to-date records to prove they are running the nation’s aging pipelines at safe pressures under a new set of guidelines the federal government announced Monday in response to a deadly natural gas explosion in a San Francisco suburb.
If the operators aren't able to ensure that their oil and gas lines are running at safe pressures by next year, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration underscored they could face penalties or some other type of sanction.
The advisory bulletin the administration issued Monday mentioned the September 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people, injured many more and left 38 homes in smoking ruins.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the accident on multiple failures by one of the nation’s largest natural gas companies, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., including shoddy records based on incomplete and inaccurate pipeline information.
A PG&E spokesman said Monday that the company has undertaken a vigorous records review and verified that its transmission lines in urban areas are running at the right pressures. Oil and Gas Expert Witnesses have been brought in to review the proceedings also.
Federal and state officials will be responsible for enforcing the new guidelines. All companies will be required to keep traceable, verifiable and complete records about pipelines that ferry hazardous fuels through the nation’s most populated areas. In a later phase, PHMSA also will direct energy companies on what to do if they can’t find records for all their pipelines.
In the wake of the San Bruno explosion, California regulators ordered PG&E and other state utilities to drop the pressure on their pipelines and produce any records of pressure tests done to ensure pipelines did not threaten surrounding communities.
PG&E’s computer records originally showed that the decades-old, high-pressure transmission line that blew was seamless. But company officials later acknowledged problems when the old paper records were incorporated into the utility’s computer system.
PG&E ultimately rented a hulking concert venue where dozens of employees sorted through more than 1.25 million individual gas transmission records hauled out from branch offices and storage facilities to find the required records.
The California Public Utilities Commission is currently weighing whether the record-keeping lapses violated state and federal laws and contributed to the pipeline rupture.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
Cyber Hackers Attack Natural Gas Lines
Story first appeared in USA Today.
Homeland Security has warned U.S. utilities that the computer networks controlling natural gas pipelines have been under attack since December, according to news reports out of Washington.
Canadian pipelines may also be affected by the cyber intrusion campaign, according to confidential Homeland Security alerts first reported by the Christian Science Monitor.
A Homeland Security spokesman today told The Hill that DHS is working with the FBI and other federal agencies to address the spear-phishing attacks, which involve fraudulent e-mails sent to gas company employees. The companies were not named.
DHS has issued at least three "amber" alerts -- the second-highest warning -- since March 29. Those warnings were reiterated late Friday in a report from Homeland Security's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team based in Idaho.
ICS-CERT has recently identified an active series of cyber intrusions targeting natural gas pipeline sector companies. Multiple natural gas pipeline organizations have reported either attempts or intrusions related to this campaign. The campaign appears to have started in late December 2011 and is active today.
But DHS has asked utilities to not remove any malware or patch security holes if they don't jeopardize safe operations, according to people who have seen the alerts. One would expect stronger Security Solutions to be put in place once this is resolved.
The newspaper says that about 200,000 miles of pipelines deliver 25% of U.S. energy.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
Homeland Security has warned U.S. utilities that the computer networks controlling natural gas pipelines have been under attack since December, according to news reports out of Washington.
Canadian pipelines may also be affected by the cyber intrusion campaign, according to confidential Homeland Security alerts first reported by the Christian Science Monitor.
A Homeland Security spokesman today told The Hill that DHS is working with the FBI and other federal agencies to address the spear-phishing attacks, which involve fraudulent e-mails sent to gas company employees. The companies were not named.
DHS has issued at least three "amber" alerts -- the second-highest warning -- since March 29. Those warnings were reiterated late Friday in a report from Homeland Security's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team based in Idaho.
ICS-CERT has recently identified an active series of cyber intrusions targeting natural gas pipeline sector companies. Multiple natural gas pipeline organizations have reported either attempts or intrusions related to this campaign. The campaign appears to have started in late December 2011 and is active today.
But DHS has asked utilities to not remove any malware or patch security holes if they don't jeopardize safe operations, according to people who have seen the alerts. One would expect stronger Security Solutions to be put in place once this is resolved.
The newspaper says that about 200,000 miles of pipelines deliver 25% of U.S. energy.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
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