Reuters said last week New Mexico officials are asking the Biden administration to resolve confusion in the state’s oil and gas industry on the 60-day pause for allowing state-level staff to issue approvals for new drilling on federal land. Sarah Cottrell Propst, secretary of the state’s energy, minerals and natural resources department, asked the U.S. […]

Permian Basin is above 200 in count of active oil and gas drilling rigs for the first time since May 2020. Houston-based Baker Hughes said as of Feb. 12 there were 203 rigs in Permian Basin (up 5 in previous week). The latest report above 200 rigs was May 1, 2020. Also as of Feb. […]

Texas Methane and Flaring Coalition said Wednesday in Austin it supports a goal of ending routine flaring by 2030. The coalition includes seven trade groups, including Permian Basin Petroleum Association, and more than 40 Texas operators. It was formed in 2019 “to develop industry-led solutions designed to mitigate and reduce methane emissions and flaring.” PBPA […]

ExxonMobil said last week it created a new business, ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, to commercialize its low-carbon technology. The new business will focus on carbon capture and storage and hydrogen. ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions plans more than 20 new carbon capture and storage projects with $3 billion in investments through 2025. The projects include U.S. […]

Port of Houston received a grant of $19.5 million from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin an expansion project. The project will widen and deepen the channel for safer and more efficient navigation of vessels calling the port’s eight public terminals and more than 200 private facilities. Port of Houston is the nation’s No. […]

Improving oil prices continue to spark a growing rig count as Permian Basin added 6 rigs in the previous week for 198 actively at work as of Feb. 5, according to Baker Hughes. Permian drilling rig count is up 13 percent since starting 2020 with 175 rigs. Baker Hughes said there are 189 rigs in […]

Houston-based Patterson-UTI Energy said last week it will relocate one of its dual-fuel spreads from the Northeast to Texas. Andy Hendricks, CEO, said Feb. 4, “While industry completion activity in the Permian increased in the fourth quarter, in the Northeast, where we have a strong presence, industry completion activity decreased significantly and remained at this […]

The Woodlands-based Earthstone Energy said last week its production guidance for 2021 is 19,500 to 21,000 boed after record volumes in 2020 of 15,382 boed (56 percent oil) to exceed guidance of 14,500 boed. Estimated proved reserves at yearend were 78.9 million boe. Earthstone’s 2021 capital budget of $90 million to $100 million assumes a […]

The Biden administration suspended new leasing for fossil fuel production on federal lands and waters in what the Houston Chronicle said “could be a major blow to Texas’ oil industry.” Scott de la Vega, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, signed an order Jan. 20 telling staff not to issue any onshore or […]

Permian Basin added 4 more active oil and gas drilling rigs in the past week, according to Baker Hughes, to reach a new total of 192 as of Jan. 29. That’s an increase of 9.7 percent in the last month since starting the year with 175 rigs. There are 182 rigs in Texas (up 7 […]