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Natural gas and coal producers have a couple of gripes in common: mild weather and high stockpiles of both commodities. But they’re not likely to be seen drowning their sorrows together as gas continues to undercut coal on price and swipe market share among power generators.

The two state chief executives agreed that environmental safeguards are imperative from both the public’s and the industry’s perspective. They offered their views during a keynote panel discussion moderated by the huge annual energy confab’s founder Daniel Yergin, the well-known global energy author/expert.

Being in the middle is not so much a challenge as an opportunity for DCP Midstream LLC, the Denver-based infrastructure and natural gas liquids (NGL) operator that has an eye on moving into the Bakken, Utica and Marcellus shale plays, according to DCP President Bill Waldheim. He told NGIShale Daily that those are about the only shale plays that fall outside DCP’s reach these days.

Drillers in northeastern Pennsylvania — the dry gas area of the Marcellus Shale — in the months ahead will stomp on the brakes with both feet and jam the dry gas freight train into reverse, according to an analysis by Bentek Energy LLC. Even if they do, a bulging gas surplus will fester behind pipeline capacity constraints for years to come, the firm said.

Drillers in northeastern Pennsylvania — the dry gas area of the Marcellus Shale — in the months ahead will stomp on the brakes with both feet and jam the dry gas freight train into reverse, according to an analysis by Bentek Energy LLC. Even if they do, a bulging gas surplus will fester behind pipeline capacity constraints for years to come, the firm said.

With at least two cities having passed ordinances banning hydraulic fracturing (fracking) until local rules for it can be established, state legislation has been proposed (SB 88) to reiterate that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) has jurisdiction to oversee the practice by oil/gas exploration and production (E&P) companies.

After more than three years, Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed an impact fee on gas drilling. The bill awaits Gov. Tom Corbett’s signature.

Physical and futures prices both registered double-digit losses on the final day of bidweek Tuesday as cash prices caught up with the late-session futures slide on Monday, and futures just kept trekking lower Tuesday as the market couldn’t shake the ongoing dynamics of ever-increasing storage surpluses and forecasts of mild weather expected to prolong the pounding market bulls have been taking.

Dominion Resources Inc. announced Friday that its earnings for the full-year 2011 and the fourth quarter both declined due to lower profits in its merchant generation business and a decrease in weather-related energy sales.