Six oil and gas association presidents and officials from two major national business groups urged US House Speaker John A. Boehner to consider a Senate-approved measure extending a drilling permit processing pilot program in several US Bureau of Land Management field offices before Congress’s lame-duck session concludes.

The US drilling rig count fell 12 units to 1,917 rigs working as the country headed into the Thanksgiving holiday during the abbreviated week ended Nov. 26, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Woodside Petroleum Ltd. has secured another area offshore Morocco by taking up a reconnaissance license with the country’s national oil company over an ultradeepwater block adjacent to permits it farmed into with Chariot Oil & Gas in July.

The US Environmental Protection Agency proposed reducing ground-level emissions limits to 65-70 ppb from their current level of 75 ppb. It also will take comments on possibly cutting limits to 60 ppb.

Karoon Gas Australia Ltd., Melbourne, has found multiple oil-bearing reservoirs in its Kangaroo-2 appraisal well in the Santos basin offshore Brazil.

OAO Gazprom and PetroVietnam on Nov. 25 signed a framework agreement for the joint development of two fields in Russia.