Although North Carolina has no current oil or natural gas production, drilling methods developed in other states might be used to tap natural gas reservoirs in Mesozoic basins beneath several North Carolina counties. The Cumnock Formation of the Deep River Basin and the Cow Branch Formation of the Dan River Basin both contain organic-rich shales that might yield commercial quantities of natural gas. More at Geology.com.

John Hanger, the newly appointed Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary reports that 37 new employees will be hired to respond to natural gas activities in the state and allow most permitting functions to be served by a single agency. See RiverReporter for more details.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is having budget problems similar to every other state – and they are looking for ways to raise revenue. This article on “The Bulletin” website explores two proposals related to gas shales: 1) severance taxes and 2) property tax.

A new USGS Fact Sheet: “Water Resources and Natural Gas Production from the Marcellus Shale” provides an overview of the Marcellus Shale gas play with an emphasis on the environmental impact on water resources.

Husky Energy has drilled a 150 million cubic feet per day well in the Liwan Natural Gas Field in the South China Sea. The field is thought to contain four to six trillion feet of gas. More in the Calgary Herald.

“What would happen if the United States stopped building coal-fired power plants?” The short answer: “more electricity is generated using natural gas” – but the longer answer might surprise you. An article on ScienceMag.org investigates.

Mineralweb.com has several articles related to mineral rights, oil and gas leasing, royalties, taxes and more.

“Rising shale gas production in the United States and Canada as well as potential natural gas supplies from Iraq could be pivotal in curbing Russia’s ability to organize an “energy weapon” against European consumers, according to a new study released today by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.” Quoted from the Rice University news release.

In some states where hydrofracturing is used to stimulate natural gas production many people are concerned that the chemicals used are considered to be “trade secrets” and not released. A new law in Colorado requires an inventory of each chemical used downhole during drilling, completion, and workover operations in amounts exceeding 500 pounds. More at the Oil and Gas Journal.

Companies that employ hydrofracturing as a method of stimulating deep natural gas wells take many precautions to contain any chemicals or waters used in that work. There are also no clearly documented cases of those fluids contaminating shallow ground water. However, there are plenty of anecdotal reports of water supply problems in areas where active hydrofracturing has been done. An article on the Reuters website explores this topic for an area of Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center released a report supporting a severance tax on natural gas production in Pennsylvania. Industry groups pointed to numerous flaws in the analysis and said that while wellhead prices are at just $3.32 per mmbtu a severance tax would knock many marginal wells out of production and result in lost jobs. More at PRNewsWire.com.

As part of a report on first quarter income, which was up sharply, Range Resources reported that they have ordered six rigs custom designed for drilling in the Marcellus Shale region. They plan to drill sixty wells this year. More at Forbes.com.