During all of the budget talks in Washington, DC, I was interested to read a recent report entitled “CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce regarding how enhanced oil recovery (“EOR”) techniques could add significant revenue to the Texas and federal budget, as well as enhance our…
Recently, NuStar Energy LP announced that they are proposing a new system of oil pipelines to bring oil from the Niobrara Shale in Colorado to Texas’s oil refineries. The Niobrara Shale is a promising play and there is a need to get the oil produced there to refineries that can…
The United States, including Texas, will be self-sufficient in natural gas within the next ten years, according to a recent survey of oil and gas professionals. The survey, entitled Energy Independence and Security: A Reality Check was published by the Deloitte University Press. There is less optimism about self sufficiency…
Ever since Gasland came out and hydraulic fracturing became a hot topic that everyone, even people with no knowledge of the field, had an opinion about, the federal government has sought to use the issue for political gain. When people in Pavillion, Wyoming, complained about their drinking water and claimed…
Another independent study titled “America’s New Energy Future: The Unconventional Oil and Gas Revolution and the US Economy,” released recently concluded that shale oil and gas drilling and development has helped create 1.75 million jobs in the last few years in the United States. The study also indicated that there…
There is more evidence from yet another study, the “Hydraulic Fracturing Study“, published in October 2012, that concludes that hydraulic fracturing, or fracing, is safe and does not pollute either air or water or cause earthquakes. This study was prepared for Plains Exploration & Production Co., an independent oil and…
American Petroleum Institute‘s Chief Economist John Felmy has warned policymakers that unnecessary duplicate regulations could obstruct the development of unconventional oil and gas plays in the US. He pointed out at a news conference in Washington, DC that these plays have already created jobs and helped improve economic conditions in…
Another company is increasing its presence in South Texas in the Eagle Ford Shale. Penn Virginia Corporation has increased its holdings by 4,100 net acres in Gonzales and Lavaca counties for $10 million. This brings the company to 31,000 net and 41,100 gross acres in the Eagle Ford. In Gonzales…
Sanchez Energy Corporation, a fast growing independent oil and gas company based in Houston, Texas, announced recently that it will accelerate its 2012-2013 drilling in the Eagle Ford shale play. This shale play covers 11 million acres from the Mexican border in South Texas to East Texas near Louisiana and…
As we’ve seen time and time again, at least in Texas, state government is in the best position to regulate the energy industry in areas such as hydraulic fracing. Texas has done a good job of using its laws and its court system to deal with the issue in a…