Boss

ConocoPhillips’ top boss offered no good news to North America’s natural gas bulls — or to the global economy — last week.

ConocoPhillips’ top boss offered no good news to North America’s natural gas bulls — or to the global economy — on Wednesday.

Kenneth Rice, former CEO of Enron Corp.’s broadband unit, testified Thursday that ex-boss Jeffrey Skilling wanted him to offer an optimistic forecast of his unit for the company’s board of directors in mid-2001 to mirror misleading statements Rice made to financial analysts earlier in the year. However, Rice, testifying at the trial of former Enron CEO Skilling and founder Kenneth Lay, never said Skilling lied to investors about the company’s health.

Building on the success it has enjoyed so far in its Bossiernatural gas play in East Texas, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. plans tospend nearly a third more in the region this year, almost $535million total, to expand its development program and increase itsexploration prospects.

Building on the success it has enjoyed so far in its Bossiernatural gas play in East Texas, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. saidyesterday it would spend nearly a third more in the region thisyear, almost $535 million total, to expand its development programand increase its exploration prospects.