By JOHN P. TRETBAR
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission met Monday to discuss what, if any, additional regulatory action they might take after a magnitude 4.4 earthquake northwest of Oklahoma City that was felt as far north as Manhattan Saturday morning. No injuries or damage were reported. Previous quakes in the area in April, and earlier, have already prompted some dramatic limits on oilfield wastewater disposal in the area.
Scientists may have found previously unmapped faults in Oklahoma that could be contributing to a sharp increase in induced earthquakes in our region. Oklahoma Geological Survey Director Jeremy Boak says the magnetic imaging study suggests the “new” faults extend from the end of mapped faults directly to areas of northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas where many quakes occurred.
Baker Hughes on Friday reported 1,062 active rotary drilling rigs across the US, up one oil rig and one gas rig. Texas added three active rigs for the week. Canada notched 112 active rigs, up 13. Independent Oil & Gas Service reported no change in the Kansas rig counts, with 11 active rigs in eastern Kansas and 23 west of Wichita.
Drilling is underway on one Ellis County lease and operators report drilling ahead at one site in Stafford County. They’re moving in completion tools at four sites in Barton County and six in Ellis County.
Operators filed 42 permits for drilling at new locations across the state last week, 26 east of Wichita and 16 in western Kansas. There’s one new permit for Barton County and one for Ellis County. So far this year, operators have filed 697 new drilling permits, which is nearly 100 permits ahead of last year at this time.
Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 21 newly-completed wells for the week, 644 so far this year. There were three new completions in eastern Kansas and 21 west of Wichita, including one each in Barton and Ellis counties.
The Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association (KIOGA) announces details of its 81st annual convention, August 12th through 14th at the Wichita Hyatt Regency. You can find details along with early-bird registration, sponsorship forms and trade show contracts at their Web site, at www.kioga.org.
Canada’s biggest crude-export pipeline operator told shippers it won’t proceed with recently announced rules setting an allowance for the amount of crude companies could nominate for transport. Enbridge was hoping to stop shippers from claiming more space than they can use on a key pipeline linking Alberta’s oil sands with U.S. refineries. Bloomberg reports that after discussions with shippers, Enbridge called off the changes, and Canadian crude prices surged by the most ever, jumping upwards of $12 a barrel.
Two Chevron employees are reported “in good health” and have been reunited with their families, after their release by Venezuelan officials Wednesday. The pair were arrested in April amid a national anti-corruption investigation. Neither the oil company nor the government have said whether they were charged with any crimes.
Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA has notified eight international customers, including China, it will not be able to meet its full crude supply commitments in June. S&P Global Platts reports the drop in supply from Venezuela is forcing China’s independent refiners to shop elsewhere, including Columbia, Mexico and Canada.
Royal Dutch Shell surpassed Exxon Mobil as the biggest oil and gas company on earth, according to the annual Forbes Global 2000. The magazine rates companies based on revenue, profits, assets and market value. Exxon Mobil is the second largest oil and gas company, followed by Chevron, France’s Total, and China’s Sinopec.
A Florida man will serve just over three years in prison for filing fraudulent oil-spill claims in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Joseph Bassler also faces a money judgment of $77,224 for his guilty plea last June. Bassler assisted companies filing business loss claims after the 2010 oil spill. He inflated claims by more than $600,000 on behalf of 62 clients and then accepted a portion of the proceeds.
A self-described “music visionary” in Texas is being sued by federal regulators for a ponzi scheme involving the oil industry. Paul Gilman allegedly funded some lavish spending habits with more than three million dollars raised from about 40 investors. He claimed his “revolutionary” sound-wave technology could, among other things, improve oil pipeline flows.