Challenges

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court quashed an appeal by the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) on Thursday, leaving in place a judge’s order that the commission cannot use a review process to enforce some provisions of Act 13, the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law.

Ryder Systems Inc., a transportation, logistics and supply chain management company that has made a large commitment to natural gas and other alternative transportation technologies, has an initiative to penetrate U.S. shale plays, CEO Robert Sanchez said during a second quarter earnings conference call.

Advanced Power North America, a subsidiary of Switzerland’s Advanced Power AG, said it plans to build a 700 MW power plant fueled by natural gas in Carroll County, OH, an $800 million project in the heart of the Utica Shale.

Ohio government officials and industry experts met for a shale symposium hosted by law firm BakerHostetler LLP, offering their opinions of what the challenges will be in the Utica Shale as the play develops.

Ohio government officials and industry experts met for a shale symposium hosted by law firm BakerHostetler LLP on Thursday, offering their opinions of what the challenges will be in the Utica Shale as the play develops.

Despite facing legal challenges to conduct emissions auctions, California’s cap-and-trade program to auction greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions raised nearly $280 million earlier this month, selling out its entire carbon allowance allotments of 14.5 million.

Nova Scotia officials are exploring options to secure a more stable natural gas supply and are issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to examine challenges on price volatility and meeting gas demand now and into the future.

New England’s reliance on natural gas to fuel power generators “could create operational challenges if natural gas supplies become tight this winter,” which would force the region to turn to oil- coal-fired generation “to lessen any operational risks” to the power system, according to a winter forecast issued Tuesday by ISO New England Inc. (ISO-NE).

Physical gas prices overall on average jumped a whopping 37 cents Monday as traders scrambled to deal with multiple challenges ranging from high power prices, to covering short positions, to below normal temperatures forecast for major eastern and Midwest energy markets. The Northeast was especially strong, with a couple of New England points registering gains north of $4.00. Futures traders were looking at more distant weather events and sold early and sold often. At the close December had fallen 17.1 cents to $3.730 and January was down 16.6 cents to $3.868. January crude oil fell 54 cents to $87.74/bbl.