Awaited

FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher Monday said he backed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s new proposal to bring about the construction of the long-awaited natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to the Lower 48 states.

Kansas City, MO-based Aquila Inc. struck a deal for the long-awaited sale of its heartland utility businesses to Black Hills Corp. Once that’s done, Aquila and its Missouri-based electric utility will be acquired by Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) parent Great Plains Energy Inc. for about $1.7 billion in cash and stock plus assumption of $1 billion of Aquila debt.

Flanked by House and Senate leaders and administration officials, President Bush signed into law Wednesday long-awaited legislation to open up part of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas leasing.

Flanked by House and Senate leaders and administration officials, President Bush signed into law last Wednesday long-awaited legislation to open up part of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas leasing.

In a moment long awaited by the energy industry and consumers, President Bush Wednesday is expected to sign into law legislation that will open up the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas leasing, according to Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) office.

FERC took a “notable first step” earlier this month when it issued its long-awaited policy statement on natural gas quality and interchangeability, but the agency still needs to provide the industry with more guidance on key policy issues, a producer coalition told the agency last Wednesday.

FERC took a “notable first step” last week when its issued its long-awaited policy statement on natural gas quality and interchangeability, but the agency still needs to provide the industry with more guidance on key issues, a producer coalition told the agency Wednesday.

The four-month-old Conservative government in Canada sees the long-awaited time for arctic gas to flow as arriving, according to Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister Jim Prentice, a close associate of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In a long-awaited decision that is likely to have widespread repercussions for liquefied natural gas (LNG) suppliers, an administrative law judge (ALJ) last Tuesday recommended that FERC approve the more conservative interchangeability standards proposed by Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) to receive Btu-rich regasified LNG in southern Florida for transportation through its 5,000-mile system.