Barnett Shale

Barnett Shale rig count down by three

There were 64 rigs drilling today in North Texas’ natural gas-rich Barnett Shale, down three from a week earlier, according to RigData.

The leading counties were Tarrant, 22 rigs; Denton, 6; Johnson, Wise, Montague and Stephens, 5 each; and Parker and Cooke, 4 each.

The leading Barnett operators were: Devon Energy, 12 rigs (Johnson and Denton, 4 each; Parker, 3; and Wise 1); Chesapeake Energy, 11 rigs (Tarrant, 10, and Johnson, 1); XTO Energy, 8 rigs (all Tarrant); and EOG Resources, 6 rigs (Cooke and Montague, 3 each.

The number of active U.S. drilling rigs has declined for the seventh time in eight weeks, dropping by one to 2,007, according to Houston-based oilfield services firm Baker Hughes.

Natural-gas rigs gained for the first time since October, adding seven rigs to 809, but gas drilling fell 12 percent for the year.

Oil rigs dropped by eight this week to 1,193, but were up 56 percent for the year.

Miscellaneous rigs, which primarily drill for geothermal energy, were unchanged this week, at five.

The Texas rig count fell by three this week, to 917.

--Jack Z. Smith

Oklahoma had oil and gas boom in 2011

Oklahoma has been enjoying an energy boom this year, the likes of which the state hasn't seen since the 1980s.

Click here for the Washington Examiner report.

--Jack Z. Smith

Range Resources takes Pa. township to court

Fort Worth-based Range Resources, a leading natural gas producer in the Marcellus Shale play in Pennsylvania, has taken the township of South Fayette, Pa., to court, claiming its municipal regulations are tantamount to an illegal ban on drilling.

Click here for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report.

--Jack Z. Smith

Natural gas prices plunge below $3

Natural gas futures prices fell below $3 today--the first time that has happened in more than two years, Bloomberg News reported.

Gas dropped to $2.99 per million British thermal units this morning in contracts for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest intraday trading price since Sept. 14, 2009.

Gas futures prices have sunk 32 percent this year, the biggest annnual decline since 2006, Bloomberg said.

Lower gas prices have put a continued damper on drilling activity this year in North Texas' Barnett Shale, one of the nation's largest gas-producing areas. The Barnett rig count is only about one-third its peak level of slightly more than 200 active rigs in 2008.

--Jack Z. Smith

"Greens" find success fighting shale boom

A resurgent green movement is launching a multi-pronged counterattack against the shale oil and gas boom in the United States that could slow, although ultimately not stop, development.

Building upon their unexpected success in the battle against the Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Canada to Texas, a renewed onslaught from environmentalists is putting the shale industry on the defensive while adding to costs, limiting expansion and potentially scuttling major projects.

Click here for the Reuters report.

--Jack Z. Smith

Natural gas prices hit 2-year low

A glut of natural gas has pushed futures prices for the fuel to the lowest level in more than two years.

Click here for the Bloomberg News report.

--Jack Z. Smith

All eyes on German renewable-energy push

A tiny village of 37 gray homes and farm buildings in a wind-swept corner of rural eastern Germany seems an unlikely place for a revolution.

Yet environmentalists, experts and politicians from El Salvador to Japan to South Africa have flocked to the community of Feldheim, population 145, in the past year to learn how it already is putting into practice Germany's vision of a future powered entirely by renewable energy.

Click here for the Associated Press report.

--Jack Z. Smith

Coal mining poses challenge for Obama

When it comes to coal mining in the United States, environmentalists have a simple goal: End it.

For the Obama administration, it's a little more complicated.

Click here for the Associated Press report.

--Jack Z. Smith

A jump-start for natural gas-powered vehicles

The U.S. has record supplies of natural gas and plenty of reasons to promote its use in cars, but consumers, manufacturers and fuel supplies haven't shown much interest.

But there's now a push to change that situation.

Click here for the Associated Press report.

--Jack Z. Smith

Solyndra: Examining the allegations against the California solar panel maker that went bust

Four months after taxpayer-backed California solar-panel maker Solyndra filed for bankruptcy, the most sensational allegations--particularly those of cronyism--remain unproven, though public documents provide support for some of the claims.

Click here for the San Francisco Chronicle report.

--Jack Z. Smith