United Country Bonnette Auction Company announces the auction 8,029 acres in Hackberry, La., on Thursday, December 15, 2011, at 1pm CST, according to Barbara Bonnette, auctioneer.

"This is one of the most fantastic properties ever offered for acquisition in Louisiana," noted Bonnette. "The income potential for this property is staggering. The recreation possibilities and beauty of this tract are second to none. Tracts this size are rarely available." Read more »

Oil prices retreated on Monday November 14, 2011 after a short rally as traders reacted to a changing political landscape in Italy and tensions in the Middle East.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, fell 65 cents to $98.34 a barrel after reaching a near four-month high of $99.69 earlier in the day.

Brent North Sea crude for December shed $1.10 to $113.06. Read more »

A group has been formed in support of the development of the Marcellus Shale Formation with hydrofracking.

The organization is calling itself Clean Growth Now, and comes as the debate over hydrofracking is heating up in Albany.

A formal roll out of the group is expected Thursday November 10, 2011.

It comes as the Department of Environmental Conservation is reviewing whether to allow permits for hydrofracking, a natural gas extraction process that involves blasting a mixture of chemicals, sand, and water underground in order to access the gas. Read more »

Oil prices hit the highest level since July as a pending United Nations report on Iran's nuclear weapon ambitions raised the possibility of new trade sanctions on the oil-rich country.

Here's how energy prices traded on Tuesday November 8, 2011.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange:

Benchmark crude rose $1.28 to end at $96.80 per barrel.

Gasoline fell 2.18 cents to finish at $2.7064 per gallon.

Heating oil lost less than a penny to end at $3.1161 per gallon.

Natural gas fell 4.9 cents to finish at $3.745 per 1,000 cubic feet. Read more »