Hard to believe, but this still-new magazine begins its third year with this issue. A lot has happened since Hart Energy took a chance and created Midstream Business to serve as an umbrella publication covering the middle of the oil and gas industry, reaching an audience of senior industry executives, investors and oil and gas analysts.

Editorially, the magazine has made news recently. Its coverage was recognized for editorial excellence by FOLIO:, the largest awards program for magazine publishing in the U.S. The June 2012 cover story, “The Fight for Natural Gas,” won the coveted Gold Eddie Award. For the same article, it took home an Award of Excellence from the Houston Business Marketing Association.

I believe Midstream Business fulfills a unique role: We divide an industry that has historically split itself in halves— upstream and downstream—into thirds. It’s a logical concept since someone has to link the energy producers with the energy consumers.

I often hear the question, “Who reads your publication?” My standard answer is our target readers work within a broad piece of energy real estate between the wellhead and the city gate/plant fence. From a financial perspective, we have a keen interest in the growing role of master limited partnerships, which have a crucial role in the midstream.

You’ll note a few changes in this issue. We’ve added a new feature that will highlight one specific function in the midstream along with a listing of its major players. This month’s subject focuses on pipeline pigging, with editorial coverage by Assistant Editor Jennifer Postel and list research from Contributing Editor Taryn Peine. I hope we give you an overview of this basic pipeline operating function, which varies from basic to leading-edge technology. Next month the focus will be on engineering companies, and we hope during the year you’ll be able to participate.

Our focus has been on the U.S. and Canada, but we’re well aware there’s lots of midstream action elsewhere. We take a look abroad this month with an informative article on Australia’s growing share of the worldwide liquefied natural gas business. Associate Editor Michelle Thompson helps set the stage for Hart Energy’s first DUG conference outside North America, scheduled in Brisbane, Australia, for August.

Then there’s the Marcellus, which some call the “superstar” among the many shale resource plays now developing in the U.S. and Canada. Regular readers will note Midstream Business did a Marcellus update early last year. But so much has happened in the Marcellus—and continues to happen—we thought it timely to pause and look again at this impressive play. Standard & Poor’s recently reported that the Marcellus “could contain recoverable resources equal to almost half of the current proven natural gas reserves in the United States.” Something that big certainly deserves another look.

We consider the Marcellus from several angles, and I hope you enjoy the differing views of a play that is literally reshaping the world’s energy business.

Want to know more? Then I hope you can take time and join us at Hart Energy’s Marcellus-Utica Midstream conference in Pittsburgh, set for January 29 to 31.

You’ll note the line down below that reminds readers to check our website at www.MidstreamBusiness.com. You’ll find updates from us on Twitter as well. I feel the website and this magazine you’re holding go together well. One medium provides information on timely events in the midstream, while the other medium allows us to step back, take a longer look at what’s happening and consider what lies ahead.

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