Conduct

The Interior Department’s U.S. Geological Survey has been directed to conduct an “independent evaluation” of the “environmental sensitivities in the Arctic” to assist in developing the next five-year (2012-2017) leasing plan for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

The Interior Department’s U.S. Geological Survey has been directed to conduct an “independent evaluation” of the “environmental sensitivities in the Arctic” to assist in developing the next five-year (2012-2017) leasing plan for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) .

The Interior Department’s U.S. Geological Survey has been directed to conduct an “independent evaluation” of the “environmental sensitivities in the Arctic” to assist in developing the next five-year (2012-2017) leasing plan for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) .

Petal Gas Storage LLC, a subsidiary of Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners LP, will conduct a nonbinding open season for approximately 3 Bcf of firm capacity at its gas storage facility near Petal, MS, the company said. The open season is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CDT on May 11, and will conclude May 21 at 3 p.m. CDT. The additional capacity is expected to be available in spring 2011. For information, contact Russ Kovin at (713) 381-7925 or rkovin@epco.com. Enterprise also said an interconnect operated by CenterPoint Energy between the Petal facility and the Southeast Supply Header pipeline is now in service. The bidirectional meter has a capacity of 750 MMcf/d and provides access to Florida markets.

Citing the proximity of certain parcels to landscapes of national significance and the need to conduct additional environmental review, Interior Secretary Ken Zalazar last Wednesday said the federal government will withdraw leases to develop oil and natural gas on more than 100,000 acres of public lands in northeastern Utah. His action, which drew criticism from producers, overturned the results of an oil and gas lease auction held in the final days of the Bush administration.

Citing the proximity of certain parcels to landscapes of national significance and the need to conduct additional environmental review, Interior Secretary Ken Zalazar Wednesday said the federal government will cancel producer leases to develop oil and natural gas on 130,000 acres of public lands in Utah. His action overturns the results of a final oil and gas lease auction held in the final days of the Bush administration.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said it will conduct a hearing to explore El Paso Natural Gas Co.’s proposal seeking to raise its transportation rates by 25% over its currently effective rates. The agency conceded that the pipeline’s filing warranted further review, but it rejected shippers’ requests to summarily reject it.

Natural gas production from the Independence Hub was interrupted Tuesday to conduct routine maintenance over the next couple of days on the Gulf of Mexico facility, according to the majority owner of the hub.

PPL Corp. will conduct a sales process for its natural gas distribution business, PPL Gas Utilities Corp., and propane business, Penn Fuel Propane, the company said last week. These businesses represented about 1% of PPL’s overall earnings from ongoing operations in 2006.