Concerned

In light of the potential effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on fuel supplies and tightening supplies of natural gas in the Northeast generally, ISO New England (ISO-NE) “is becoming increasingly concerned about the operational reliability of the New England system during the upcoming winter,” the grid operator disclosed in a recent filing submitted to federal energy regulators [ER03-563-053].

In front of a packed crowd that included some concerned local, state and federal officials Thursday, the last day of Chairman Pat Wood’s term, FERC rejected the Fields Point LNG facility proposed by KeySpan in Providence, RI, saying that it did not meet current federal safety standards. However, the Commission conditionally approved the Weaver’s Cove LNG import terminal in Fall River, MA, and approved the Golden Pass LNG terminal in Sabine Pass, TX.

Concerned by a growing interest to open banned waters to drilling activity, more than 100 House lawmakers have called on Appropriations Committee members to keep intact the long-standing prohibition against oil and natural gas exploration and production in much of the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Concerned by a growing interest to open banned waters to drilling activity, more than 100 House lawmakers have called on Appropriations Committee members to keep intact the long-standing prohibition against oil and natural gas exploration and production in much of the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

While some areas of the country appear to be out of the woods as far as heat is concerned, a majority of the East Coast still appears to be in for some warmer than normal temperatures from August through October, according to WSI Corp.

Enbridge Inc. vowed to take a co-operative approach with all concerned when it stepped forward as the second Canadian contender offering to help build the proposed Alaska natural gas pipeline.

Pipelines and domestic producers should be more than a little concerned about the prospect of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply growing from only about 1-1.5%/year of total U.S. supply today to at least 12%/year by 2010. Such a dramatic increase in supply, coming into the market at brand new locations, will have significant impacts on gas prices and the value of gas transportation capacity, according to analysis done by Wakefield, MA-based Energy Security Analysis Inc. (ESAI).

Williams CEO Steve Malcolm remains concerned about the “noise” from the ongoing energy merchant industry investigations by FERC, the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the “uncertainty as to where those might lead.” Malcolm made the comments during a conference call last week to discuss the company’s third quarter earnings.

Williams CEO Steve Malcolm said Thursday he remains concerned about the “noise” from the ongoing energy merchant industry investigations by FERC, the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the “uncertainty as to where those might lead.” Malcolm made the comments during a conference call to discuss the company’s third quarter earnings.