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The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday it will resolve a civilcourt case between a group of oil companies, headed by BP AmocoProduction Co., and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe over rights androyalties to natural gas produced from coal in the San Juan Basin.The Supreme Court will hear arguments in April with a decision dueby the end of June.

Between winter weather that finally was starting to moderate forreal and the normal load decline associated with a holiday weekend,most traders were confident that Friday’s cash market would befalling substantially. Imagine their surprise at an overall flatperformance that even included modest upticks at a few Gulf Coastpoints

A new study finds all is not well with the relationship betweenenergy marketers and service companies and their commercialcustomers. Indeed, BENTEK Energy Research says “commercialcustomers feel marketers and ESCOs promise prices that are notrealized, underperform on services, and they are not meetingcustomers’ needs in helping to reduce their energy consumption.”

A new study finds all is not well with the relationship betweenenergy marketers and service companies and their commercialcustomers. Indeed, BENTEK Energy Research says “commercialcustomers feel marketers and ESCOs promise prices that are notrealized, under-perform on services, and they are not meetingcustomers’ needs in helping to reduce their energy consumption.”

Unocal Corp. said last week it expects 1999 capital spending tototal between $1 billion and $1.1 billion, down from the estimated$1.7 billion in capital expenditures this year. The lower spendingreflects Unocal’s narrowed focus on core oil and gas explorationand production in response to lower commodity prices.

Unocal Corp. said Monday it expects 1999 capital spending tototal between $1 billion and $1.1 billion, down from the estimated$1.7 billion in capital expenditures this year. The lower spendingreflects Unocal’s narrowed focus on core oil and gas explorationand production in response to lower commodity prices.

Gregory Power Partners (GPP), a joint venture between LG&ampEPower and Columbia Energy’s Columbia Electric Corp., securedfinancing last week for a new gas-fired co-generation project nearGregory, TX, allowing the partnership to proceed with powercontract obligations with Reynolds Metal Co., the second largestU.S. aluminum producer. Terms of the financing were not disclosed.

Gregory Power Partners (GPP), a joint venture between LG&EPower and Columbia Energy’s Columbia Electric Corp., securedfinancing Monday for a new gas-fired co-generation project nearGregory, TX, allowing the partnership to proceed with powercontract obligations with Reynolds Metal Co., the second largestU.S. aluminum producer. Terms of the financing were not disclosed.

Demonstrating the growing relationship between marketers andmunicipal gas companies, USX Corp. subsidiary Marathon Oil Co.(Marathon) announced a $52.8 million agreement last week to supplyover 31 Bcf of firm natural gas to the Public Energy Authority ofKentucky (PEAK) for 10 years. Effective Nov. 1, Marathon willprovide gas for PEAK through the Texas Gas Transmission pipelinesystem.