Venoco Inc., an independent energy company with substantial holdings in California’s oily Monterey Shale, said Jan. 16 that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Timothy M. Marquez, Venoco’s chairman and CEO, who controls 50.3% of Venoco’s common stock, will acquire Venoco through a wholly owned entity, Denver Parent Corp.

Devon Energy Corp. has signed an agreement with Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration & Production Corp. whereby SIPC will invest $2.2 billion in exchange for one-third of Devon’s interest in five emerging plays.

On December 22, Spain’s Repsol announced an agreement signed with Oklahoma City-based SandRidge Energy to buy nearly 363,636 net acres in the Mississippi Lime play.

Frisco, Tex.-based Comstock Resources Inc. (NYSE:CRK) said on Dec. 29 that it has closed the previously announced acquisition of oil and gas properties in the Delaware Basin in West Texas from Eagle Oil & Gas Co. and certain other parties for $331.9 million.

NYTEX Energy Holdings Inc. has acquired 5,447 leasehold acres in North Texas to commence development of the Mississippi Lime oil formation at depths between 4,000 and 5,000 feet.

Nova Scotia, Canada-based Corridor Resources Inc. has spud the vertical Will DeMille O-59 shale gas appraisal well, an offset to the Will DeMille G-59 horizontal well drilled in 2010, in order to advance the Frederick Brook Shale program.

Praxis Mutual Funds has called on oil and gas companies to provide additional disclosures regarding the environmental and financial risks associated with their hydraulic fracturing (natural gas drilling) operations.

Southern Union Company has approved construction of the $235 million Red Bluff Project, a 200 MMcf/d natural gas processing plant and associated gathering, compression, and treating facilities, through its midstream segment, Southern Union Gas Services (SUGS).

Research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie dispels talk that the oil and gas business is a “sunset industry” in a new report titled “The changing face of upstream value.”

Days after the July 14 announcement by Australia’s BHP Billiton Ltd. of its acquisition of Houston-based Petrohawk Energy Corp. for US$15.1 billion, analysis about future trends in the highly attractive unconventional resources space began to surface.

On Monday, natural gas champion Chesapeake Energy unveiled its three pronged plan to transform the US transportation fuels market and reduce OPEC Oil imports.

San Antonio, Tex.-based Cross Border Resources Inc. (OTCQX: XBOR) has executed a participation agreement in the Big Star Six Shooter project targeting 320 gross acres within the Wolfberry Trend, Dawson County, Texas.

Canadian natural gas company Progress Energy Resources Corp. has agreed to sell 50% of its working interest in certain British Columbia shale assets to Malaysian national oil company, Petronas, for $1.1 billion.