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Nevada’s two major private-sector electric utilities, both operating under corporate parent NV Energy, will merge into one utility headquartered in Las Vegas. Sierra Pacific Power Co., a combination natural gas and electric utility in the north, will be consolidated into the larger electric-only Nevada Power Co. utility in the south, said NV Energy CEO Michael Yackira. Filings to the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are to be made by the end of this year.

Abundant natural gas liquids (NGL) and crude oil growth have led to dozens and dozens of new infrastructure projects for both the United States and Canada, and they can’t come soon enough, according to energy analysts.

Canada’s natural resources minister said his government is committed to seeing the Keystone XL Pipeline become a reality, and rebuked a possible effort by European officials to target the country’s oilsands by labeling it as a dirtier form of energy.

President Obama’s proposal to scale back $41 billion in oil and natural gas tax breaks as part of his $447 billion jobs stimulus bill will hit both major producers and independents in their pocketbooks, said a tax attorney with a Washington, DC-based law firm last week.

President Obama’s proposal to scale back $41 billion in oil and natural gas tax breaks as part of his $447 billion jobs stimulus bill will hit both major producers and independents in their pocketbooks, said a tax attorney with a Washington, DC-based law firm (see Daily GPI, Sept. 13).

September natural gas futures were unchanged Friday as traders reported that both buyers and sellers were not motivated to take action at current price levels. September ended flat at $3.931 and October had risen 0.6 cent to $3.912. October crude oil gained 7 cents to $85.37/bbl.

Encore Energy Partners LP(ENP) closed on an acquisition of producing oil and natural gas assets in the Permian Basin of West Texas for a net price of $14.8 million from a private seller. The properties have estimated total net proved reserves of 1.03 million boe, of which 87% are oil and natural gas liquids (NGL). They are 51% proved developed, and current production is about 115 Boe/d. The effective date of the acquisition was May 1, 2011. ENP also said it agreed to acquire certain nonoperated working interests in producing oil and natural gas assets in Sweetwater County, WY, from an undisclosed seller for $28.5 million. The assets have estimated total proved reserves of 4.175 million boe, of which 65% are natural gas and 35% are oil and NGLs. They are 90% proved developed, and net production attributable to the acquisition is 880 boe/d. Closing is expected in September with an effective date of June 1, 2011. ENP said it made new oil and gas hedges covering a substantial portion of the estimated production related to proved developed reserves from both acquisitions for the next several years.

Enterprise Products Partners LP and Entergy Transfer Partners LP for now have abandoned plans to construct a 584-mile crude oil pipeline from Cushing, OK, to Houston, Enterprise said Monday.

FERC has issued a favorable environmental assessment of National Fuel Gas Supply Corp.’s Northern Access Project and Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s 230C Project, both of which would provide for the bidirectional flow of 320,000 Dth/d of Marcellus Shale gas to the system of TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. at Niagara, NY.