Texas tops the list of most attractive jurisdictions for petroleum exploration and production investment, while Oklahoma leads the world with the most desirable policy environment, according to the annual Global Petroleum Survey compiled by the Fraser Institute. The survey attempts to provide information about perceptions affecting investment decisions, including those…
Late last year a pipeline explosion occurred in a west Texas liquified petroleum pipeline, near the small town of Milford in Ellis County, about 50 miles south of Dallas. Emergency officials had to evacuate some residents and students at a nearby school. The Texas Department of Transportation had to close…
In Texas, a properly drafted oil and gas lease will prohibit the use of the landowner’s surface or ground water. The well driller or operater must bring in water from another source for fracing. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracing, of wells requires substantial amounts of water. About 20% of that water…
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently predicted that natural gas heating for homes will cost 13% more this winter than last winter. The average price over the winter this year will be about $679 for a household, which is actually still lower than the previous five year average cost. The…
A recent study by a reputable organization recently concluded that transporting oil by pipeline is safer than any other transportation method, to the extent that if opposition to pipelines causes oil to be transported by less safe methods, the risk of oil spills increases! The study, entitled “Intermodal Safety in…
The government shutdown is now old news. But it’s still interesting to consider how it may have effected the Texas and U.S. oil and gas industry. There are plenty of agencies that effect the oil and gas industry, which is heavily regulated by the federal government. One agency that is…
If you listen to the media and popular culture, carbon dioxide is a dangerous chemical compound that will poison the planet. But as we have seen with the rhetoric surrounding the hot topic issue of hydraulic fracturing for gas and oil wells in Texas and in the United States generally,…
This blog recently discussed the increase in U.S. (and Texas) oil and gas production, and that it has shown few signs of slowing down in the near future. In August 2013, the American Petroleum Institute’s monthly production statistics showed that U.S. oil production was at a 25 year high at…
One oil company active in Texas, Paradigm Oil and Gas Inc., is planning to identify oil wells that can be made more profitable by using advanced technology. Paradigm announced recently that it is ramping up for what it calls a “Production Blitz” in the face of continued conflict in the…
This year there has been a nearly continuous stream of good news about shale development in Texas and its positive effect on the economy in our area. In March 2013, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Center for Community Business and Research issued its annual report on the Eagle…