Commonwealth

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is skeptical of information pipeline operators have submitted to comply with a new state registry, the chairman of the agency told a Pittsburgh audience Friday.

Inergy Midstream LP, UGI Energy Services Inc. and Capitol Energy Ventures Corp., a unit of WGL Holdings Inc., plan to develop the Commonwealth Pipeline to carry Marcellus Shale production to market.

The administration of Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Tom Corbett, who is scheduled to be inaugurated in Harrisburg Jan. 18, should be a breath of fresh air for the natural gas industry, which saw outgoing Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration put state forest land off limits to drillers and push for a significant severance tax of 5% on drilling, according to Marcellus Shale Coalition President Kathryn Klaber.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law Wednesday legislation reducing the amount of roll-back tax that owners of farmland must pay when leasing land and mineral rights for natural gas development.

Looking to provide Pennsylvanians the security of being an energy-independent commonwealth while also creating a cleaner environment, Gov. Edward Rendell announced last week an $8 million investment in 20 projects that will advance the alternative transportation fuels industry within the state.

Looking to provide Pennsylvanians the security of being an energy-independent commonwealth while also creating a cleaner environment, Gov. Edward Rendell announced Wednesday an $8 million investment in 20 projects that will advance the alternative transportation fuels industry within the state.

Looking to provide Pennsylvanians the security of being an energy-independent commonwealth while also creating a cleaner environment, Gov. Edward Rendell announced Wednesday an $8 million investment in 20 projects that will advance the alternative transportation fuels industry within the state.

A rate case settlement agreement between Duke Energy Kentucky and the commonwealth’s attorney general would increase rates for natural gas delivery service by approximately $13 million, or 10.4% of total gas revenues, effective in early 2010. The original request was for $17.5 million, or a 14% increase, the company said Monday.

Exelon’s two utility subsidiaries, Commonwealth Edison in Chicago and Philadelphia-based PECO, reported record winter peak power demand last Monday because of extremely cold temperatures and customer growth, and KeySpan said its New York and Long Island utility operations both set new gas demand records when it averaged about 14 degrees in the KeySpan service territory.