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…
There is good news for anyone wanting to make a career in the growing field of gas development! This year, after more than a dozen years, students will be able to study for a degree in natural gas engineering at Texas A&M University, Kingsville. When the university’s engineering program started…
Texas gas retailers are in for a tough time. The federal Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled earlier this year in favor of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a challenge to the introduction of a higher corn ethanol blend in gasoline. The new higher blend would contain…
A few recent cases involving Chesapeake Energy Corporation backing away from potential oil and gas leases are raising alarms. Obviously a contract is only as good as its enforceability. It goes without saying that landowners need to be diligent so that they are not taken advantage of by large oil…
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) released a new estimate last week on the US’s oil and gas reserves. The new estimate for 2012 is part of the Reserve-Growth Assessment Project. It found 32 billion barrels of crude oil, 291 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 10 billion barrels…
The Denbury case was one of the most important developments in Texas oil and gas law in the past year, and this blog reviewed the March, 2012 Texas Supreme Court ruling here. In summary, the Denbury case involves a landowner who objected to a private energy company’s use of the…
A new report by IHS Inc., a global information and analysis company, states that Eagle Ford in South Texas is a contender for the best tight oil play in the US. This is based on strong drilling results, a large prospective area and the magnitude of the resource potential. At…
A report of the US Energy Information Administration issued within the past few months indicates that horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in shale have helped US and Texas oil and gas reserves grow at a record pace in 2010. This was the biggest single year increase since the organization began…
A Houston company, Crimson Exploration Inc., has provided an update on its successful operations in east Texas, including Woodbine, Eagle Ford and other programs. This is important information for the growth of the oil and gas industry in Texas, a crucial component to economic growth and energy independence. Crimson has…