Chair

Chair Marilyn Showalter of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will be a featured speaker at the upcoming conference on “Buying and Selling Electric Power in the West” Jan. 20-21 in Seattle, WA. Michael Grainey, director of the Oregon Department of Energy, also will be presenting at this 10 annual conference hosted by Law Seminars International. Topics to be covered include key national and global developments affecting electric markets in the West, anticipated budget and operational impacts of new security requirements, and the Canadian perspective on the key issues in western U.S. power markets. In addition there will be discussions on hydropower licensing, risk management strategies, the financial markets’ view on Northwest energy markets, potential financial impacts of pending energy litigation, a California update and energy strategies for cities and counties. A complete program can be viewed at http://www.lawseminars.com/frame_seminars.htm.

Pressure is rising on Capitol Hill for lawmakers to take action on stalled comprehensive energy legislation, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said on Wednesday. He also gave a thumbs down to the idea of breaking pieces of the energy bill off and trying to move them as separate measures.

FERC Chairman Pat Wood last week urged the U.S. Commerce Department to override the state of Connecticut’s objections to the proposed Islander East Pipeline. The project, which eventually would carry up to 400 MMcf/d of gas under Long Island Sound to markets on Long Island from pipelines in Connecticut, has been blocked by the state using the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA).

FERC Chairman Pat Wood urged the U.S. Commerce Department to override objections from the state of Connecticut and okay the construction of the Islander East Pipeline to carry up to 400 MMcf/d under water from Connecticut to Long Island, NY.

Arizona’s top energy regulator, Marc Spitzer, chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), described a rapidly growing southwestern natural gas market in need of additional gas storage infrastructure at the “Southwestern Gas Storage Technical Conference” FERC held in Phoenix Tuesday.

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), co-chair of the emergency task force on natural gas issues with Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), last week asked the Government Accounting Office to conduct an inventory and report on all administration appeals and judicial litigation that are delaying critical energy exploration and production projects in the United States.

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), co-chair of the emergency task force on natural gas issues with Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), has asked the Government Accounting Office to conduct an inventory and report on all administration appeals and judicial litigation that are delaying critical energy exploration and production projects in the United States.

Constraints on supplies of natural gas, crude oil and coal are unlikely to occur worldwide before 2025, but in the next 20 years, the energy industry will be challenged to design sustainable technology that can replace depleted fossil fuels, the chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group told a Houston audience.

Constraints on supplies of natural gas, crude oil and coal are unlikely to occur worldwide before 2025, but in the next 20 years, the energy industry will be challenged to design sustainable technology that can replace depleted fossil fuels, the chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group told a Houston audience.