Advisory

The Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, which was formed earlier this month by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett and tasked with reporting back to the governor by July, held its first meeting in Harrisburg Friday.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last Tuesday submitted a 140-page draft plan to the agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) to study potential drinking water contamination associated with chemicals and fluids used in hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tuesday submitted a 140-page draft plan to the agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) to study potential drinking water contamination associated with chemicals and fluids used in hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tuesday submitted a 140-page draft plan to the agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) to study potential drinking water contamination associated with chemicals and fluids used in hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking).

Six people were appointed to Utah’s citizen Resource Advisory Council (RAC), which will advise the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on public land issues. The RACs, composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in various fields of natural resource use and management, help BLM carry out its stewardship of 253 million acres of public lands. Utah’s newly appointed members are Gary Kofford of Castle Dale, who was selected to represent Utah’s elected officials; Bill Hopkin of Woodruff to represent grazing interests; Mike Roberts and Ray Bloxham, both of Salt Lake City, to represent environmental groups; Stuart Sprouse of Sandy to represent dispersed recreation; and John Malechek of Logan, who will represent academia.

IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE) was expected to issue an advisory Thursday detailing plans to impose position and accountability limits on its Henry Hub over-the-counter (OTC) swaps contract to conform with directives from the Commodity Futures Exchange Commission (CFTC). The changes will take effect with the February 2010 contract.

Northwest lifted Thursday the Recall Advisory along with the contract-specific Realignment and Must-flow OFOs that had been implemented Wednesday on flows through the Plymouth South Constraint Point (see Daily GPI, Dec. 5). “Due to shippers’ voluntary cooperation in realigning supplies north of Plymouth, the primary firm nominations north through Plymouth have declined to a level Northwest can physically accommodate,” the pipeline said.

Independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has recommended that Aquila Inc. shareholders vote for the company’s plan to merge with Great Plains Energy Inc., Aquila announced Thursday.

Dominion issued what it called an “FTNN Hourly Limit OFO” advisory Thursday, saying it has determined that based upon current and forecasted weather, hourly quantities delivered to customers at several Mid-Atlantic delivery areas may exceed what it can deliver without jeopardizing its ability to provide firm services to other customers. “Each affected customer will take whatever action it may deem appropriate, including notification of IT shippers at affected delivery points,” the pipeline said. Dominion said it was providing four hours’ advance notice that it may issue an OFO requiring customers to limit delivery fluctuations to the designated areas within one hour. The customers on the PL-1 system in the southern portion of Dominion’s operating area that are impacted by the OFO until further notice are Baltimore Gas & Electric, Washington Gas Light, Quantico, Virginia Natural Gas, Doswell Meter, Virginia Power and the City of Richmond, VA. Dominion took similar action earlier this week for seven utility customers in New York state (see Daily GPI, Jan. 24). See the bulletin board for further OFO details.