Afterthought

California has become an afterthought in the now low-key debate about a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal on the West Coast of the United States. Twice over the past 40 years of global LNG trade, California has been a focal point for U.S. western imports, and twice high expectations have crashed amid harsh local and state permitting requirements.

California has become an afterthought in the now low-key debate about a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal on the West Coast of the United States. Twice over the past 40 years of global LNG trade, California has been a focal point for U.S. western imports, and twice high expectations have crashed amid harsh local and state permitting requirements.

With Tropical Storm Alberto rapidly becoming just an afterthought for the natural gas industry (except for the reductions of power generation demand that its heavy rains were causing in the eastern end of the South), most points bowed to the lack of significant cooling load in northern market areas by recording moderate declines Tuesday.

With Tropical Storm Cindy now an afterthought and Hurricane Dennis still off in the distance, there wasn’t enough “storm hype” around to keep nearly all points from ranging from flat to down nearly 30 cents Thursday. Disappearing cooling load in the Northeast and Midwest market areas also was a factor. A couple of points eked out small gains of slightly under a nickel.