The company plans to keep 1 Bcf/d of gross natural gas output curtailed through October, CEO Aubrey McClendon said.

A new energy impact coordinator position also has been added to monitor local needs, Gov. Jack Dalrymple noted.

Some El Paso Corp. shareholders contend that a conflict of interest by investment banker Goldman Sachs has "tainted" the $21.1 billion transaction.

Improved performance is expected this year in the U.S. offshore and Alaska units, said the oilfield services operator.

Prices continued Tuesday's decline in overnight trading.

Both cash and futures markets couldn't ignore the prospects for continued mild weather.

Most of the shut-ins are in the Haynesville and Barnett shales, the producer said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, which is working with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to develop the joint swap dealer definition rule, indicated that it "wasn't ready" to move forward.

The company, which held a 10% stake in the deepwater well, is the first to settle with federal officials.