Allies

Attorneys for energy companies and landowners looking to advance shale development in New York State said Thursday morning’s proceedings in state appellate court went well and they expect to hear rulings on two key cases in six to eight weeks, or by mid-May.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is operating under a “misperception of initial production from gas wells,” which “has led to a drastic overestimate of methane emissions from hydraulically fractured [fracked] natural gas wells,” according to Darren Smith, environmental manager for Devon Energy Corp.

Traditional allies find themselves knocking heads at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) over a proposal by Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) utility to establish a special compression tariff and services for natural gas vehicle (NGV) fueling stations. Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. is alleging that the SoCalGas plan is anti-competitive.

Australia’s largest independent oil and natural gas operator, Woodside Petroleum Ltd., last week announced an alliance with privately held Explore Enterprises of Louisiana LLC to acquire, develop and produce properties in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf and in the deepwater.

Australia’s largest independent oil and natural gas operator, Woodside Petroleum Ltd., said Wednesday it will ally with privately held Explore Enterprises of Louisiana LLC to acquire, develop and produce properties in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf and in the deepwater.

Feeling someone in Washington, DC, is finally listening to them, the 18-state Western Governors Association and its allies applauded the Senate’s adoption of an amendment last Thursday to the proposed energy bill that the governors believe will ensure a “regional role” in the development and enforcement of electricity grid reliability standards. Arizona’s Gov. Jane Dee Hull, chairperson of the Denver-based western governors’ group, called the action “good news for consumers and the industry.”

EnronOnline embarked on a new e-commerce strategy last week thatinvolves alliances with independent energy trading platforms. Enronsigned memorandums of understanding with HoustonStreet.com andTrueQuote.com and anticipates signing deals with other platforms inthe near futures. The deals allow Enron to post its prices on theother platforms and to carry out North American natural gas andelectricity transactions through those other sites.

EnronOnline significantly expanded its reach yesterday byforming alliances with HoustonStreet.com and TrueQuote.com, twoenergy trading platforms. Enron signed memorandums of understandingwith both companies to extend EnronOnline pricing for NorthAmerican natural gas and electricity to both.

A strategic alliance between Sempra Energy Trading and recentlyformed MEG Marketing LLC of Georgia is targeting the Southeast witha stable of energy products and seeks to capitalize on MEG’s statusas a minority/woman-owned business.