The global impact of the US shale gas boom was in further evidence this week as Qatar Petroleum, along with its MOU partner, Centrica, made its first move into the North American E&P market in a $1 billion acquisition of Canadian assets from Suncor Energy. North America had been earmarked by Qatar as a guaranteed market to sell its copious LNG export capacity in, but the US Shale boom has turned this idea on its head, as the middle-eastern NOC becomes the latest foreign power to move into the North American E&P arena.

The Independent Producers Association of America (IPAA) has launched a new educational campaign, Energy Tax Facts. This campaign and website (http://energytaxfacts.com) will explain the often complicated tax provisions and policies that apply to American independent producers.

A recent University of Texas poll asked respondents what they thought about a variety of energy issues, not the least of which was hydraulic fracturing. Interestingly, the poll actually shows how anti-energy activists are losing in their misinformation campaign against responsible shale development.

J. P. Morgan reports that Vean Gregg, who has played an important role in building the firm’s oil and gas business, will take a “sabbatical” from the firm, beginning in June.

A US District Court in Northern California has held that the US Bureau of Land Management violated the National Environmental Policy Act in its environmental assessment of federal leases in California by unreasonably relying on an earlier single-well development scenario that failed to adequately consider the development impact of fracking when used in combination with horizontal drilling techniques.

First Pacific Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong and Manila Electric Company of the Philippines have created a joint venture vehicle – FPM Power Holdings – to acquire a majority interest in a new 771-megawatt, LNG-fueled power plant in Singapore.

Oklahoma City-based SandRidge Energy Inc. (NYSE: SD) has appointed David C. Lawler as COO.

OAO Lukoil has signed an agreement with New York-based Hess Corp. to acquire 100% of Hess’s Russian subsidiary, Samara-Nafta, for $2.05 billion.

Oil and gas industry professionals based in the United States are the 6th best rewarded in the world, according to the Oil and Gas Global Salary Guide 2013 produced annually by expert recruiters Hays Oil & Gas and the jobsite, Oil and Gas Job Search.