Combination

Prices continued to rely on the bullish combination of significant heating load in several market areas and a strong day-earlier screen to achieve further gains at nearly all points Thursday. Upward momentum was building as most upticks were larger than those on Wednesday. The exception was Northeast citygates, which — except for Transco Zone 6-New York City recording a second straight spike of about a dollar — rose at a slower pace than Wednesday and included Dracut, the only point to see a setback of about 15 cents.

The cash market recorded strong advances Wednesday based on a combination of expanding cold weather and the previous day’s futures uptick of nearly 20 cents. Northeast citygates led the way as prices rose between about a nickel and nearly 80 cents. Northern Natural-Ventura was the only point failing to see a double-digit gain.

With a new combination of regulators this year on the elected five-member New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC), a split among the group surfaced recently when two of the commissioners walked out of a closed session that resulted in the firing of two top PRC staff members. The chief of staff and administrative director were let go on 3-0 votes, and a new acting staff head was named from among existing staff.

With a new combination of regulators this year on the elected five-member New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC), a split among the group surfaced last week when two of the commissioners walked out of a closed session that resulted in the firing of two top PRC staff members. The chief of staff and administrative director were let go on 3-0 votes, and a new acting staff head was named from among existing staff.

After stirring up a flap among a newly elected combination of regulators, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) on Thursday rescinded a mandatory prohibition against one of its five members facing criminal charges, replacing it with a softer resolution that would make it voluntary for any member who is a criminal or civil defendant to recuse themselves from votes on internal personnel and administrative matters at the commission.

Syracuse-based combination utility Niagara Mohawk, which provides natural gas to nearly 560,000 customers and power to 1.5 million customers in upstate New York, has signed an 11-month natural gas portfolio management agreement with New Jersey Resources subsidiary NJR Energy Services (NJRES). Most of the terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

A combination industrial gas supply and power generation project involving a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal at Coos Bay along southern Oregon’s Pacific Coast is being examined on a preliminary basis by the Oregon Department of Energy’s siting council, which will hold a hearing on the proposed project Jan. 19. Comments from the public are due by Feb. 10.

A combination industrial gas supply and power generation project involving a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal at Coos Bay along southern Oregon’s Pacific Coast is being examined on a preliminary basis by the Oregon Department of Energy’s siting council, which will hold a hearing on the proposed project Jan. 19. Comments from the public are due by Feb. 10.

Syracuse-based combination utility Niagara Mohawk, which provides natural gas to nearly 560,000 customers and power to 1.5 million customers in upstate New York, has signed an 11-month natural gas portfolio management agreement with New Jersey Resources subsidiary NJR Energy Services (NJRES). Most of the terms of the transaction were not disclosed.