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Proving the common saying that region trumps party in Pennsylvania politics, a pair of Republican state representatives are proposing a severance tax on natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale.

After previously noting that Critical Days for storage would become more common through the end of injection season, Columbia Gas (TCO) said Friday the gas days of Saturday through Monday would be deemed as such Critical Days. Based on its injection capacity and on forecasted firm requirements, TCO projected that all available injection capacity would be required to meet firm service obligations, with no likelihood of interruptible services. Withdrawals were not impacted. AutoPAL (Park and Loan) service would not be available through the weekend, TCO said.

ConocoPhillips is securing thousands of acres in emerging resource plays across Canada and the United States as it readies to become a stand-alone explorer, a company executive said Wednesday.

Encore Energy Partners LP (ENP) and its general partner, Vanguard Natural Resources LLC, each are acquiring a 50% stake in producing oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin from a private seller for a total price of $85 million.

Price movement was approximately evenly mixed between small gains and small losses of up to nearly a dime either way. Flat quotes were common, and none of the changes up or down reached double digits. The increases tended to be concentrated in the Midcontinent and Rockies.

Three Ohio legislators have asked the state’s attorney general to determine the source of a five-page document that, if authentic, could prove individuals connected to the energy industry are using deceptive practices to persuade property owners to sign oil and gas leases.

With snowfall in the north-central U.S. expected to continue at least into Saturday and forecasts of lows in the 30s being common from the Midwest through the Rockies, prices rebounded Friday at nearly all locations after mild softness a day earlier had interrupted last week’s overall gains. Thursday’s 7.1-cent screen advance provided additional support for cash pricing, and the usual weekend slump of industrial load apparently had little impact.

Privately held Kinder Morgan Inc. will go public Friday (Feb. 11), raising as much as $2.3 billion by selling 80 million shares of common stock, the company said Thursday. In connection with the initial public offering (IPO), parent Kinder Morgan Holdco LLC will be renamed Kinder Morgan Inc. and converted from a Delaware limited liability company to a Delaware corporation.

Privately held Kinder Morgan Inc. will go public Feb. 11, raising as much as $2.3 billion by selling 80 million shares of common stock, the company said Thursday. In connection with the initial public offering (IPO), parent Kinder Morgan Holdco LLC will be converted from a Delaware limited liability company to a Delaware corporation.