Oil Rig Count Continues To Plunge, with a Baker Hughes rig survey reporting the number of rigs is down 30% from November. “America’s oil and gas drillers laid down 98 rigs last week, 84 oil rigs and 14 gas rigs. The number of rigs drilling horizontal wells into shale formations topped out at 1,372 in… Keep reading →
In a democratic republic like ours, the legislative branch is the voice of the people. Throughout the long – too long – debate over the Keystone XL pipeline, the White House has used politics to stymie a conclusion on the matter. But no more. House approval of a Senate bill advancing the pipeline will require… Keep reading →
Two studies released today in the journal of Environmental Science and Technology provide new insights into methane emissions from significant sources in the oil and natural gas sector and underscore the urgency of taking action to address pollution from these sources. The studies—focusing on the gathering and processing segment and the transmission and storage segment—were… Keep reading →
Drilling contracts are at the core of upstream operational agreements. They come in many forms and are negotiated to varying degrees depending on the value of the contract, level of risk involved, and existence of regional forms that may dictate terms. This article focuses primarily on general terms of a typical long term, high-dollar, day-rate, offshore contract; however, many terms discussed apply to the entire spectrum of drilling agreements.
The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change.” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance, geology,… Keep reading →
The fall to six-year lows in oil prices has been swift and unexpected. The pace of energy sector layoffs in recent weeks has been similarly quick, if not so surprising. Job cuts are inevitable as oil and gas companies watch commodity prices tumble, but layoffs today could have significant ramifications for the sector tomorrow. For… Keep reading →
Let’s hope public hearings on the Obama administration’s draft offshore oil and natural gas leasing program – starting this week – help spark serious discussion of how the nation’s offshore energy reserves will be managed in the near future. Needed is greater public awareness of just how limited the administration’s approach is, reflected in a… Keep reading →
In January 2015, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that authorizes the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, and the Nebraska Supreme Court issued a decision that will allow the proposed route of the pipeline to proceed through Nebraska.
Two of the Environmental Protection Agency’s seven statements of purpose reference “best available scientific information” and “accurate information.” These also happen to be two things that many in Washington, D.C., feel that EPA is setting aside in the pursuit of political goals. Yesterday the agency released comments on the Keystone XL pipeline that gave plenty… Keep reading →
General Electric (GE) and Norway’s Statoil have announced a strategic collaboration to advance more environmentally friendly and economically sustainable technologies for oil and gas production. GE and partially state-owned Statoil have a long history of working together and both share a commitment to improving their environmental footprints, which is a goal increasingly valued by investors… Keep reading →
