Trans-Orient Petroleum (TOPLF) explores for oil and natural gas resources in shale and rock, primarily in Australia and New Zealand and other under-explored regions. The company was active in exploring in Australia from 1996-2000 and revived operations in 2006 as the worldwide energy boom surged. Tran-Orient has said it will use the same technology used in the Bakken, Barnett and other North American oil and gas shale formations to drill and fracture shale in New Zealand. Some estimates say there are 1.7 billion barrels of oil yet to be discovered in New Zealand.

New Zealand has been known for its expansive natural gas reserves in the past and its economy has become somewhat dependent on that industry. Seeking new avenues for increased oil production, some explorers like Trans-Orient noted that New Zealand’s East Coast Basin shares geological traits with the coasts of California and Indonesia where successful drilling for oil and

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Article Source Various individuals have argued for drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as a means to affect the price of oil. This is true despite this recent assessment by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, the Federal Government's nonpartisan analytical group on energy issues. From Annual Energy Outlook related analyses (June 2007): The OCS is estimated to contain substantial resources of crude oil and natural gas; however, some areas of the OCS are subject to drilling restrictions. With energy prices rising over the past several years, there has been increased interest in the development of more domestic oil and natural gas supply, including OCS resources. In the past, Federal efforts to encourage exploration and development activities in the deep waters of the OCS have been limited primarily to regulations that would reduce royalty payments by lease holders. More recently, the States of Alaska and Virginia have ...

The benefits are obvious, but some risks are not widely appreciated. The Utilities Sector shows a disturbing trend for the 12 months ended May 2008. The Gas Utilities Industry has fared a little better than its peers during this period. The crude oil outlook is unclear. That is why opinion is divided on how gas prices may fare in future.

This small-capital stock from Fort Worth, TX has a clear location advantage. The home base is front and center of one of the most exciting natural gas fields in all of North America. The management has been sanguine in leveraging a spatial advantage fully. It has been pro-active in securing gathering and processing rights to top natural gas resources in its neighborhood.

Stock investors wary of how the markets have behaved during June 2008 will be relieved to know that this stock

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