Claimed

Federal investigators are attempting to determine the cause of a series of explosions Tuesday that claimed the life of one man at the Mont Belvieu, TX, natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant owned and operated by Enterprise Products Partners LP.

President Obama Tuesday signed an executive order calling for a government-wide review of regulations that are claimed to discourage job creation and make the U.S. economy less competitive.

An independent consumer unit at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday challenged the results claimed by private sector utility multi-billion-dollar energy efficiency programs and urged consumers to attend one of two public hearings the CPUC has scheduled for Monday (Los Angeles) and Tuesday (San Diego). Regulators have designated the meetings as “public participation hearings” for the major utilities’ $4 billion 2009-2011 efficiency programs.

Eyeing up to $1 billion in federal stimulus package funding, California claimed Tuesday to be the first state to submit its application for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) State Energy Program (SEP) funding. The California Energy Commission (CEC) successfully completed the state’s SEP filing, which promises massive energy savings and more than 2,000 new jobs, according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While natural gas marketers overall registered an approximate 12% gain in volumes sold in NGI’s 1Q2008 marketer survey over year-ago totals, Constellation Energy Group, now fourth in the marketer listings, and Louis Dreyfus Energy Services LP, now in sixth place, reported remarkable sales volume gains of 54% and 68%, respectively. Shell Energy North America, Nexen Inc. and Tenaska Marketing Ventures all reported sales volume increases of more than 20%, while Chesapeake Energy Corp. and XTO Energy Inc. both had sales that were up by 32% over 1Q2007.

While natural gas marketers overall registered an approximate 12% gain in volumes sold in NGI’s 1Q2008 marketer survey over year-ago totals, Constellation Energy Group, now fourth in the marketer listings, and Louis Dreyfus Energy Services LP, now in sixth place, reported remarkable sales volume gains of 54% and 68%, respectively. Shell Energy North America, Nexen Inc. and Tenaska Marketing Ventures all reported sales volume increases of more than 20%, while Chesapeake Energy Corp. and XTO Energy Inc. both had sales that were up by 32% over 1Q2007.

A Boston-based high-tech firm, Core Security Technologies, claimed last Wednesday to have discovered a deficiency in key software used by natural gas pipelines and other utility operations that could make them vulnerable to hackers. Core Security representatives described the potential security problem to the Associated Press, which released a wire report on the firm’s allegations.

A Boston-based high-tech firm, Core Security Technologies, claimed Wednesday to have discovered a deficiency in key software used by natural gas pipelines and other utility operations that could make them vulnerable to hackers. Core Security representatives described the potential security problem to the Associated Press, which released a wire report on the firm’s allegations.

Cobalt International Energy LP claimed another investor for its young exploration company with the announcement Friday that First Reserve Corp. has joined its investor group with a $350 million commitment.