The oil and gas industry has come under fire recently over the environmental impact of some of its extraction techniques for unconventional oil - such as shale gas and oil sands - but there are a number of alternatives out there.

A major partnership between a Canadian company and a major Japanese oil and gas producer was recently announced.

In recent months no other shale gas formation in the United States has drawn as much attention as the Marcellus.

Fracking has helped the United States maintain the world's number one economy, but the exploitation of unconventional gas is also catching the eye of the world's second largest economy: China.

The recent Bakken results from Torquay Oil Corp. (TOC/A:TSX VENTURE) appear to be underwhelming.

With all of the attention that has been focused on the Bakken in North Dakota and the Marcellus shale in the Mid-Atlantic, it is easy to forget that California is one of the top oil producing states in America.

Junior oil sands exploration firm Southern Pacific Resources Corporation (STP:TSX) recently released 1Q12 results which showed that its production averaged 3,784 barrels per day (bbl/d) and cash flow of C$10.7 million or C$0.03 per share.

Crocotta Energy Inc. (CTA:TSX) recently released 3Q11 results which indicated the oil and gas company generated cash flow per fully-diluted share of C$0.11 and production of 4,002 barrels of oil equivalent per day.