Become

Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP has become Access Midstream Partners LP and is trading under the ticker ACMP on the New York Stock Exchange. A new website, www.accessmidstream.com, also was launched. In June Global Infrastructure Partners acquired the midstream partnership from Chesapeake Energy Corp. (see Daily GPI, July 3). New board members CEO J. Mike Stice, COO Robert S. Purgason and GIP principal William J. Brilliant join David A. Daberko, Domenic J. Dell’Osso Jr., Philip L. Frederickson, Matthew C. Harris, Suedeen G. Kelly and William A. Woodburn.

Williams Partners and Williams said Monday the partnership plans to acquire Williams’ 83.3% interest in an olefins production facility in Geismar, LA. The partnership also would become the operator of the plant.

Jesus Soto Jr., the current vice president for operations services at El Paso Corps.’ pipeline group, will become Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) senior vice president for gas transmission, operations, engineering and pipeline integrity beginning May 29. At El Paso, Soto deals with providing technical services and support to pipeline field operations covering measurement, compression, reserve/pipeline systems, federal Department of Transportation compliance and risk management. Soto previously worked for ANR Pipeline, Colorado Interstate Gas, Southern Natural Gas and Tennessee Gas Pipeline for onshore and offshore facilities. He holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas-El Paso and a master’s in engineering from Texas A&M.

If expected growth and diversity in fueling infrastructure and vehicles develops as anticipated, natural gas vehicles (NGV) could become 1 Bcf/d of added demand in the U.S. gas market, according to an analysis released Monday by Raymond James & Associates Inc.

Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. posted records during the first quarter for natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) and oil production as well as chart-topping revenue, largely thanks to the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas and the Barnett Shale in North Texas. Meanwhile, Marcellus Shale activities are ramping up.

The Maryland House of Delegates passed a 7.5% state severance tax on natural gas production on Monday, which if adopted would become the highest severance tax rate for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale.

Over the last year or so hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has become a headline issue, and how one feels about it depends to a good degree on who one is. Generally though, as fracking garners more scrutiny the belief that it is worth doing hasn’t wavered much, a recent poll found.

On the heels of an announcement by its largest Detroit-based competitor, Chrysler Group LLC said this week it plans to become North America’s only auto manufacturer to offer a factory-built compressed natural gas (CNG) pickup truck. General Motors announced a similar CNG pickup rollout on Monday, albeit at a slower pace (see Daily GPI, March 6).

Marathon Oil Corp. CEO Clarence P. Cazalot Jr., who led the company’s restructuring last year to become a pure-play exploration and production (E&P) company last week said upstream production in 2011 rose 7% year/year on the “highest level of rig activity in many years.”