‘Oil is here to stay’ (Jerusalem Post)

Jul 30

From: The Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN

Extracting oil shale can provide Israel energy security, if done in environmentally friendly manner, expert says.
“Unless there is some major breakthrough that we can’t envision yet, we will be dependent on oil for most of our transportation for decades to come,” said Dr. Patrick Moore, chairman and chief scientist of the Vancouver- based Greenspirit Strategies Ltd.While people must dramatically change their behaviors to reduce their negative impact on the environment, oil is a critical energy source that will be here to stay for the foreseeable future, according to a prominent Canadian environmentalist.

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Former New Bedford mayor to lead regional NOAA office (Gloucester Times)

Jul 25

From: Gloucester Times

A former New Bedford mayor has been tapped by the U.S. Department of Commerce to take over as the Northeast regional administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, based out of Gloucester’s Blackburn Industrial Park.

John K. Bullard was appointed Monday by Samuel Rauch, the Commerce Department’s deputy assistant administrator for fisheries, out of NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Md.

In his new post, Bullard, who served as New Bedford’s mayor from 1986 through 1992, will step into the position held previously by Patricia Kurkul, who stepped aside in December.

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Lessons from a guided tour of the oil fields (Bismarck Tribune)

Jul 25
As I wrote last week, I recently had the opportunity to spend a day in the North Dakota oil fields with Ron Ness of the North Dakota Petroleum Council and Blaine Hoffman of Whiting Oil’s Dickinson office. Last week I wrote about the technological ingenuity that allows us to send a steel probe more than two miles into the earth, then make it turn a 90-degree corner, and snake its way thousands of feet into the sweet spot of an oil-bearing shale formation. That formation is then pneumatically fractured (fracked) so that it releases the oil that has previously been locked in the shale. Current technologies thus allow us to extract gigantic quantities of oil (or natural gas) that would have been impossible to recover just a few years ago.

The best part of the field day for me was having the opportunity to pitch dozens of questions to two of the best-informed professionals in North Dakota. Here’s what I learned.

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Unconventional gas gathers pace in Middle East

Jul 19

From:  The National

The development of unconventional gas resources in the Middle East is gathering pace, as Algeria closes in on agreements with international oil companies to explore its shale gas potential.

The country is in advanced talks with ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell over shale gas exploration, said the head of Sonatrach, Algeria’s national oil company.

“We are in talks with Shell and Exxon,” Abdelhamid Zerguine, the chief executive told a news conference last week.

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Utah oil shale permit now in limbo (Salt Lake Tribune)

Jul 10
Eco-group’s attorney says sides are waiting for more water analysis.

By Brandon Loomis

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Jun 26 2012 05:56 pm • Last Updated Jun 26 2012 07:00 pm

An environmental appeal of a Utah company’s permit to mine oil shale in the Uinta Basin is on hold — along with the permit approval — after state and company officials agreed to wait for more analysis, according to an attorney for the eco-group Living Rivers.

Red Leaf Resources won a permit this year from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining despite Living Rivers’ objections that the agency should wait for reports from the Division of Water Quality.

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Granite Wash Shale in the US – Oil Shale Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2020 (PRLog)

Jul 05

From: PR Log


Drilling permits in the Granite Wash play have been on the increase as production levels continue to soar, states a new report by energy specialists GlobalData.

According to the report*, the Texas portion of the play has rewarded oil and gas companies such as Chesapeake Energy and Forest Oil Corporation with high quality liquids in return for their endeavors in the area.

The Granite Wash play (Texas) has emerged as one of this fastest growing liquid plays with an approximate 33.3% boost in production from 2009 to 2010. Crude oil grew by 12.7, from 1.37 MMboe (Million Barrels of Oil Equivalent) in 2009 to 1.54 MMboe in 2010, whereas condensates grew from 2.69 MMboe in 2009 to 3.86 MMboe in 2010 – an increase of 43.7%.

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