Confirming

The Deep Panuke gas field, offshore Nova Scotia, is confirmingbeliefs that the Sable Island region may contain the mostsignificant gas finds there in 10 years, with news this week that asecond appraisal well by PanCanadian maxed out the testingequipment, with a flow rate at the well averaging more than 50MMcf/d.

With a striking new drilling success confirming that thelong-awaited time has arrived for making a start on developingnatural gas in the Canadian North, natives and authorities thereare laying out welcome mats.

FERC will address the remaining gas policy changes on its platebefore the end of the year, Chairman James J. Hoecker saidyesterday, confirming what other commissioners have indicatedrecently. But some of the main dishes originally on the menuprobably will not show up at the table because most of the industryfound them indigestible, Hoecker told attendees at the 55th annualmeeting of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America inAventura, FL.