The Pennsylvania Health Department was criticized last month for not doing enough to address heath concerns associated with Marcellus Shale development activities, and as a result recently announced changes designed to facilitate the complaint handling process. “The department’s priority is to address the public’s concerns, whether they are about environmental health in general or specifically related to Marcellus Shale drilling,” Secretary of Health Michael Wolf said. But some oil and gas development opponents say the reforms do not go far enough. “There’s just no way there isn’t more [complaints],” she said. “I know that from talking to other nurses working in communities around fracking sites.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

This animated time lapse of US onshore rig movements provides insight into where near-term oil and gas production is likely to come on stream. “We care about rig activity because it is a leading indicator of future production in an area. Rig activity in an area today signals new production from that area in the near-term. …The Permian Basin in west Texas continues to suck in rigs, primarily from the neighboring Eagle Ford, Granite Wash, and Woodford plays. The Eaglebine, northeast of the Eagle Ford, has also increased its rig count recently, with many of those rigs also coming from the Eagle Ford. [Drilling Info]

The wind power sector in China appears to be rebounding with increasing bid prices for equipment and number of accepted bids. “The significant increase in the number of bids for wind power equipment has heightened the expectation for consistent improvement in the performance of wind power manufacturers. During the first half of this year, bids for the equipment in China exceeded 11.5 GW, including 7 GW during the first quarter and over 4.5 GW during the second quarter, up approximately 30 percent from the 8.8 GW during the first half of last year.” [Renewable Energy World]