Conducive

Influences did not look conducive for higher prices. Only the Northeast was expected to see winter-like conditions extend into the weekend while most other regions moderated to seasonably cool fall weather; a larger-than-expected storage build report from the previous day ensured that heating season inventories would be more than adequate; and that led to November futures expiring 6.6 cents lower on Thursday.

Despite predicted temperature moves that were more often slightly higher than conducive to boosting heating load, prices recorded single-digit gains at a large majority of points Tuesday.

Despite predicted temperature moves that were more often slightly higher than conducive to boosting heating load, prices recorded single-digit gains at a large majority of points Tuesday.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has called on FERC to issue anoffshore policy that’s conducive to private-sector investment innew technologies and the natural gas infrastructure in the Gulf ofMexico. Such a policy would be in keeping with the Clintonadministration’s 1993 domestic natural gas and oil initiative, hewrote in a letter to Chairman James Hoecker.