Natural gas production in Western Canada has been enjoying a steady revival in recent years, heavily assisted by enormous growth in the unconventional Montney gas formation. A sizable portion of this formation lies in the westernmost province of British Columbia, but also underlies a large contiguous land area in that province which has been the subject of land access and development issues with the province’s First Nations residents. As a result of a legal decision made in June 2021, future natural gas production growth was thrown into question as new well licenses, crucial for future gas well development, were placed on hold until a new agreement could be reached. In the nick of time, a new agreement was announced last month. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the implications on future natural gas drilling and production.
Canadian crude output is rising, requiring new export routes. As traditional pathways face constraints, the U.S. Rockies—especially the Guernsey, WY hub—are emerging as key corridors for moving Canadian heavy crude to downstream markets, including the Gulf Coast.
Canada’s westernmost province, British Columbia (BC), has been on the rise for more than a decade as one of the most promising regions in North America in which to drill for unconventional natural gas. Specifically, the Montney formation, a sizable portion of which underlies the northeast corner of the province, has been the primary force powering the province’s — and Western Canada’s — natural gas output to new records on a near-monthly basis. We felt the Montney to be so important that we dedicated an entire five-part series to it, with our recent Part 5 installment underscoring what continues to be incredibly strong, and rising, well productivity and production from this enormous resource.
From humble origins back in the mid-2000s, BC’s portion of the Montney is now responsible for just over one-third of all the natural gas produced in Western Canada (as of December 2022) based on data from our Canadian NATGAS Billboard (left graph in Figure 1). On its own, the BC Montney has grown almost uninterrupted over the past decade, with record-high production being notched in December 2022 at 6.2 Bcf/d (right graph).
Join Backstage Pass to Read Full Article
About the song
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was written by Brian Wilson, Tony Asher and Mike Love. It appears as the first song on side one of The Beach Boys’ 11th studio album, Pet Sounds. Released as a single, with the B-side being “God Only Knows,” in July 1966, it went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Brian Wilson was inspired to write the song by his infatuation with his sister-in-law, Diane Rovell of The Honeys. The song was recorded between January-April 1966 at Gold Star and Columbia in Hollywood. In addition to The Beach Boys, 16 studio musicians were utilized to achieve the final recording of the song. Personnel on the record were: Brian Wilson (lead, backing vocals), Mike Love (bridge and outro lead vocal, backing vocals), Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Bruce Johnston (backing vocals), Hal Blaine (drums), Barney Kessell (12-string mando-guitar), Carol Kaye (bass), Larry Knechtel (tack piano), Al de Lory (grand piano), Bill Pittman (acoustic guitar), Jerry Cole (electric 12-string guitar), Ray Pohlman (Danelectro six-string bass), Lyle Ritz (acoustic bass), Frank Capp (timpani, jingle stick, glockenspiel), Carl Fortina, Frank Morocco (accordion), Roy Caton (trumpet), Steve Douglas, Plas Johnson (tenor sax), and Jay Mighori (baritone sax).
Pet Sounds was recorded between July 1965 and April 1966 at Western, Gold Star, and Columbia studios in Hollywood, with Brian Wilson producing. Released in May 1966, it went to #10 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Four singles were released from the LP.
The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, CA, in 1961. They have released 29 studio albums and nine archival albums. The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide to date and has won two Grammy Awards; three of their songs are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Brian Wilson still records and tours. Mike Love fronts a touring version of the Beach Boys that is currently touring the U.S.
