2009

Although lows around freezing or lower remained in the forecast for Canada and most of the northern half of the U.S., little of last week’s cold-weather bullishness was left in the cash market Monday. The southern U.S. had turned relatively moderate over the weekend, and only Canada and some northern parts of the U.S. were still due to see extreme lows of around zero, the single digits and teens.

A federal judge in Erie, PA, last week said the U.S. Forest Service had overstepped its authority earlier this year when it settled with environmental groups and took more control over the development of privately owned natural gas and oil rights in the Allegheny National Forest.

President Obama this week called on Congress to provide incentives for consumers who retrofit their homes to become more energy efficient, “which we know creates jobs, saves money for families and reduces the pollution that threatens our environment.” He also proposed an expansion of “select” initiatives in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to promote energy efficiency and clean energy jobs that have been proven “to be particularly popular and effective.”

President Obama on Wednesday nominated Larry Persily, a former aide to ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to be federal coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects (ANGTP). In addition, Patricia Hoffman was nominated to helm the Office of Electricity and Energy Reliability, which has been tasked with creating a smart power grid for the nation.

Expressing concern that proposed renewable energy transmission lines may “impede the development of oil and natural gas resources,” the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) last week filed motions to intervene in several Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) proceedings.

Columbia Gas of Ohio will now obtain gas supplies through a market-based auction process, which will replace the company’s gas cost recovery pricing mechanism, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) said last Wednesday. The change is expected to save customers money, according to the PUCO.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, which had grown at an average annual rate of 0.7% since 1990, were 7,053 million metric tons carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent in 2008, a 2.2% decrease compared with 7,210 million metric tons in 2007, according to a report released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Natural gas, which accounted for 28.5% of fossil energy used in the United States in 2008, accounted for only 21% of total energy-related CO2 emissions.

Linn Energy LLC, which is almost 60% weighted to natural gas, last week agreed to pay $154.5 million to build its leasehold in the Permian and Anadarko basins — for the oil. The news mirrors recent announcements by other gas-heavy explorers that have begun buying up property to build their oil reserves.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, which had grown at an average annual rate of 0.7% since 1990, were 7,053 million metric tons carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent in 2008, a 2.2% decrease compared with 7,210 million metric tons in 2007, according to a report released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Natural gas, which accounted for 28.5% of fossil energy used in the United States in 2008, accounted for only 21% of total energy-related CO2 emissions.