Fayetteville Shale

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's annual natural gas survey ranked Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming and Oklahoma as the nation's four biggest producers. The report counted gross withdrawals and production.

Oklahoma dry gas wells grossed nearly 2 trillion cubic feet last year. The report noted that the state's output was its second highest since 1994, and much of it was due to robust action in the Woodford Shale. Read more »

Following impassioned responses from several members of the public, the Conway City Council added its list to the dozens of municipalities opposing the proposed severance tax on natural gas. The council did so by approving a resolution opposing the passage of the Natural Gas severance Tax Act of 2012.

The council voted 7-0 in favor of the resolution. Read more »

BP announced recently an agreement to lease thousands of acres in northeast Ohio for future oil and gas production in the Utica/Point Pleasant shale formation. Utica/Point Pleasant is a relatively new and very promising shale basin that consists of a potentially significant liquids-rich gas source, and this deal adds an important American energy source to BP's onshore gas portfolio. Read more »

A targeted review of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, and Arkansas Natural Resources Commission programs regulating the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells has been completed by a multi-stakeholder review team appointed by State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations, Inc. (STRONGER). Read more »

Faulkner County’s position on a proposed local Fayetteville Shale survey is squarely on the fence.

Members of the county’s Courts and Public Safety Committee voted recently to neither support nor denounce an effort by two environmental alliances to determine how a sampling of county residents feel about the impact of natural gas drilling in the area.

The Greenbrier Concerned Citizens Advisory Board and the UCA Environmental Alliance want to conduct the survey. Read more »

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting groundwater testing in Van Buren County.

The testing began July 6 and is continuing. Tom Kimmons of the county Gas and Oil Advisory Board and the Shirley Community Development Corp. said Monday all the samples should be collected this week.

The USGS is testing for chloride concentrations, conductivity, pH and temperature, as well as methane in groundwater at 100 locations throughout the county. Read more »

To hear the Arkansas legislative shale caucus tell it, gas drillers in the Fayetteville shale would never dream of mistreating the Arkansas environment and nearly always treat landowners fairly. All the same upon reviewing six states (not including Arkansas) suggests that people watch their gas lease agreements closely. In a review of thousands of documents it was found: Read more »

Australia-based BHP Billiton’s acquisitions of Chesapeake Energy’s and Petrohawk’s Arkansas Fayetteville Shale assets. The move made BHP the second largest leaseholder in the unconventional natural gas play behind No. 1 Southwestern Energy but ahead of No. 3 XTO, which is owned by ExxonMobil Corp.

In a lengthy presentation to investors, BHP’s Houston-based petroleum division chief executive, Mike Yeager, provided detailed insight on the company’s strategy with these new assets. Read more »

When one thinks of the Fayetteville shale, one company name comes to mind immediately – Southwestern Energy. Houston-based Southwestern was the earliest entrant in the Fayetteville shale play and today November 8,2011 still has nearly three times the natural gas production of its nearest competitor in the formation. The Fayetteville shale is located on the Arkansas side of the Arkoma Basin and cuts a swath through the north-central part of the state east to the Mississippi River. Read more »

Kinder Morgan Inc struck a $21 billion deal to buy rival El Paso Corp, combining the two largest North American natural gas pipeline companies and making a big bet on the fast-growing market for that fuel.

Despite weak natural gas prices, production of the fuel has been rising as energy companies pile into shale fields -- underground formations rich in oil and gas. Read more »