Again

Marking its fourth Northeast LDC purchase this year, SouthernUnion (SU) bought Cumberland, RI-based Valley Resources for $160million, including the assumption of debt, the companies said lastweek. The boards of directors for both Valley Resources and SU haveunanimously approved the deal. The merger is expected to becompleted within nine months.

Marking its fourth Northeast LDC purchase this year, SouthernUnion (SU) bought Cumberland, RI-based Valley Resources for $160million, including the assumption of debt, the companies saidyesterday. The boards of directors for both Valley Resources and SUhave unanimously approved the deal. The merger is expected to becompleted within nine months.

Natural gas traders were greeted yesterday morning by somethingseldom seen in recent years – a serious blast of below normaltemperatures in the key gas-consuming Northeast U.S. But evensub-freezing temperatures and gale force winds, which are expectedfor much of the eastern seaboard today, were not enough to overcomethe deleterious effects of forecasts calling for a quick return toabove-normal temperatures by the weekend. After an early buyingsurge failed to punch through $2.42, the January contract cameunder a heavy wave of selling that propelled prices lower to finishat $2.304, a 4.8-cent decline for the day.

Flat pricing dominated the cash market again Thursday, butregion-specific variations also continued. While numbers saw littlechange in the Gulf Coast, Midcontinent/Midwest and Southwest,Northeast deliveries took a dive and Rockies pipes saw gains ofabout a nickel or so. The Rockies and Northeast price movements,though divergent, were based on the same influences: changingweather. The East Coast is entering a warm-up period; meanwhile,recent record-setting warmth in the Rockies was a thing of the pastas a stormy cool front moved through the region toward the Plainsstates.

With its seemingly bottomless stomach rumbling again, EnergyEast bought Berkshire Energy Resources for $96 million last week inan attempt to complement its growth strategy and gain new gascustomers in western Massachusetts. The companies said they expectto complete the transaction within 12 months. As part of the deal,Energy East also assumed $40 million of Berkshire’s preferred stockand long-term debt.

After several years of battling, both in the courts and at FERC,the Commission last week finally approved a version of El PasoNatural Gas’ 1996 rate and capacity-turnback settlement that seemedto satisfy all parties involved. But to get to that point, El Pasowas forced to make some big concessions along the way to quellconcerns.

After several years of battling, both in the courts and at FERC,the Commission this week finally approved a version of El PasoNatural Gas’ 1996 rate and capacity-turnback settlement that seemedto satisfy all parties involved. But to get to that point, El Pasowas forced to make some big concessions along the way to quellconcerns.

With its seemingly bottomless stomach rumbling again, EnergyEast bought Berkshire Energy Resources for $96 million yesterday asa complement to its growth strategy and to gain new gas customersin western Massachusetts. The companies said they expect tocomplete the transaction within 12 months. As part of the deal,Energy East also assumed $40 million of Berkshire’s preferred stockand long-term debt.

In rejecting NiSource’s revised tender offer of $6.1 billion ($74/share) last week, Columbia Energy Group’s board announced that it authorized management to begin considering all options, including a sale of all or part of the company to a third party, possibly even NiSource.