Spire‘s five natural gas utilities — Alagasco, Laclede Gas, Missouri Gas Energy, Mobile Gas and Willmut Gas — have all begun operating under the St. Louis-based parent company’s name. Included in the launch of the united utility, Spire announced a new mobile-friendly website for customers. Spire serves 1.7 million natural gas customers in Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. Non-utility operations include Spire Marketing, which provides natural gas marketing and related services.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) launched a 30-day public comment on Friday (Sept. 22) for a preliminary environmental assessment (EA) and a Determination of National Environmental Policy Act Adequacy (DNA) that evaluates about 51,400 acres of federal minerals in southeastern Utah for oil and gas leasing. The proposal includes 43 parcels in Grand and San Juan counties. The EA, DNA, maps and lease stipulations are available for review online, where comments may be submitted by Oct. 23. BLM received more than 500 comments during the public scoping period to identify issues to be addressed in the environmental documents. Comments also may be submitted via email at BLM_UT_MB_Comments@blm.gov, or by mail to BLM Moab Field Office, 82 East Dogwood, Moab, UT 84532. For more information, contact Doug Rowles at (435) 259-2100.

A commercial real estate developer is clearing a 100-acre site in western Pennsylvania for a roughly $9 million project with the help of a $7 million loan from a regional development fund. Castlebrook Development Group is working to get an industrial park ready in anticipation of the manufacturing opportunities that are expected to be created by Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC’s ethane cracker, scheduled to come online in the early 2020s. The cracker is under construction in Beaver County, 15 miles south of the Castlebrook site. The Power of 32 Site Development Fund, backed by local banks, nonprofits and private companies, made the loan for Castlebrook.