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North America’s natural gas prices, now at their lowest level in 10 years, may not be helping explorers, but positive impacts are being felt across a variety of industries inside and outside the energy sector, according to an analysis by Moody’s Investors Service.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) four-year, $2.2 billion plan to boost the safety and maintenance of its natural gas pipeline system is being more aggressively defended by executives, who have called for California regulators and major gas utility pipeline operators to work more cooperatively to implement a comprehensive upgrade to the intrastate gas pipeline network.

North America’s natural gas prices, now at their lowest level in 10 years, may not be helping explorers but positive impacts are being felt across a variety of industries inside and outside the energy sector, according to an analysis by Moody’s Investors Service.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) four-year, $2.2 billion plan to boost the safety and maintenance of its natural gas pipeline system is being more aggressively defended by executives, who called Tuesday for California regulators and major gas utility pipeline operators to work more cooperatively to implement a comprehensive upgrade to the intrastate gas pipeline network.

On the ground, the shale boom is a mixed bag as rural landowners weigh the alternatives of securing lucrative royalties at the cost of their land being part of an oil/gas industrial push that critics contend is threatening local environments and public water supplies. The Los Angeles Times last Sunday profiled the dilemma through a feature on two brothers with dairy farms in the rich Marcellus Shale in western New York.

Looking for a back door into the dispute over exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Sierra Club has attacked FERC’s environmental review of the proposed Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC facilities, saying it failed to consider the impact on shale development and domestic gas prices.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. says it is “disappointed” and “concerned” over a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct water sampling in Dimock Township, PA, saying the action duplicates a state investigation, causes regulatory uncertainty and conflicts with Obama administration policy.

Williams Partners LP (WPZ) said Thursday it has started up the Springville natural gas gathering pipeline, one of the building blocks in its plan to secure large-scale infrastructure in the capacity-constrained Marcellus Shale. Springville initially would help deliver 300 MMcf/d to Northeast markets.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) said up to $4.5 million in grants is being made available to support development of a network of natural gas vehicle (NGV) fueling stations in Texas. The TCEQ Clean Transportation Triangle grants are part of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan and are offered to entities that intend to build natural gas fueling stations along interstate highways connecting Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth (see Daily GPI, Jan. 17). The stations must be located no more than three miles from the interstate highways and must be made available to the public. A preference will be given to stations providing both liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas at a single location and to stations located not more than one mile for an interstate highway system. The application deadline is April 16. For information visit www.terpgrants.org, or call (800) 919-8377.