Cleared

Although one hurdle has been cleared from the path of the C$7 billion Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline, many remain, project sponsors emphasized last week following an economic development deal signed by the Canadian government and the Deh Cho First Nations. The deal resolved one of the major issues preventing development of the long proposed project.

Although one hurdle has been cleared from the path of the C$7 billion Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline, many remain, project sponsors emphasized. The economic development deal signed by the Canadian government and the Deh Cho First Nations resolved only one of the major issues preventing development of the long proposed project (see Daily GPI, July 12).

South Dakota-based NorthWestern Energy announced Wednesday it has cleared the last pending hurdle in its post-Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization by reaching an agreement in principle to settle all pending legal actions, appeals, claims and disputes involving the utility holding company and Magten Asset Management Corp. and Law Debenture Trust Co. of New York LLC.

South Dakota-based NorthWestern Energy announced Wednesday it has cleared the last pending hurdle in its post-Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization by reaching an agreement in principle to settle all pending legal actions, appeals, claims and disputes involving the utility holding company and Magten Asset Management Corp. and Law Debenture Trust Co. of New York LLC.

U.S. antitrust regulators on Tuesday cleared the path for Penn Virginia Resource Partners LP’s (PVR) purchase of natural gas gathering and processing assets in Oklahoma and Texas from Cantera Resources Holdings LLC, a portfolio company of Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, for $191 million in cash.

U.S. antitrust regulators this week cleared Royal Dutch/Shell Group’s plan to merge its two holding companies, The Hague-based Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., which owns 60% of the company, and London-based Shell Transport & Trading Co Ltd., which owns 40%.

After several years of added time and legal costs, Avista Corp. received a formal decision Wednesday from FERC that the company’s utility and trading units had not manipulated wholesale energy markets during the western crisis of 2000-2001. The regulators approved their trial staff’s conclusion of no wrongdoing.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday cleared the way for Dominion Transmission to begin construction on portions of its Mid-Atlantic Expansion project. At the same time, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line notified the agency that it placed the second and final phase of its southeastern Momentum expansion in service on Feb. 1.

FERC has approved Questar Pipeline’s request to begin an early review of its planned Southern System expansion under the agency’s pre-filing process of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).