He cracked the code. That's what folks in the oilpatch say about George Mitchell. In the 1970s and '80s, the country's conventional, big pools of natural gas were tapped out. Drillers looked in new geologic formations, but found themselves stumped.

"We knew the gas was there," Mitchell says. "We didn't know how to get it free." Read more »

The New Brunswick government is proposing 116 different changes to the regulatory framework that oversees the oil and gas industry and in particular the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing.

Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup and Environment Minister Bruce Fitch unveiled the changes to the rules governing the oil and gas industry in the legislative assembly on Thursday. Read more »

Brazil'sCongress has a short list of priorities for legislation during the rest of this year, with the most pressing being approval of a law changing the distribution of royalties from oil production.

The goal is to give more money from new wells to nonoil-producing states. Producing states oppose cuts in their share, saying they face more environmental risk and, therefore, deserve more money. Read more »

What advantages are there to selling my royalties for a lump sum payout?

 Cleaning up your estate and saving your heirs from the complicated and expensive title transfer process.

Reinvesting the proceeds into safer investments.

Putting an end to all the record keeping and paperwork.

Taking advantage of one of the lowest long-term capital gains tax rate since the Great Depression while it lasts. Read more »