Coming

Politics will have a huge influence on U.S. energy issues over the coming year, according to John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell Oil USA.

Energy expert Daniel Yergin, who chairs IHS CERA, said Tuesday the coming year is proving to be unpredictable when it comes to energy.

Shocking details surrounding the surprise bankruptcy of securities firm giant MF Global Holdings Ltd. were coming to light Tuesday, one day after the company turned in its Chapter 11 papers following an ill-timed bet on the European debt markets (see Daily GPI, Nov. 1).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Thursday said it plans to develop national pretreatment standards for wastewater from shale natural gas extraction operations with a proposed rule expected to be issued in 2014. The news was met by industry groups asking the government agency to leave regulation in the hands of the individual states.

Wednesday’s minimal gains proved to be an accurate harbinger of a three-day market rally coming to an end. A flat Westcoast Station 2 was the sole exception to falling quotes at all other locations Thursday as the previous day’s 12.7-cent drop by prompt-month futures joined generally pleasant early-fall weather in applying downward pressure to physical gas numbers.

New England’s electrical grid faces a series of challenges in coming years, including potential problems that could result from an increased reliance on natural gas, according to independent grid operator ISO New England (ISO-NE).

New England’s electrical grid faces a series of challenges in coming years, including potential problems that could result from an increased reliance on natural gas, according to independent grid operator ISO New England (ISO-NE).

In two days’ time Hess Corp. has acquired stakes in almost 185,000 net acres in the Ohio portion of the Utica Shale, the latest deal adding 85,000 more acres to its prospective leasehold.

A “consensus playbook” is calling for the U.S. natural gas supply curve to flatten over the coming months, but improved drilling and completion technology and a backlog of wells waiting for pipeline connections in the onshore shale plays indicate that growth won’t stall anytime soon, analysts with Raymond James & Associates Inc. said Monday.