Congressmen

With congressmen on recess testing public sentiment in their home territories, opponents of the House-passed climate change legislation are gearing up to stage public rallies at key points across the country to stir up opposition before companion legislation shows up in September in the Senate. The first rally against the climate change measure and proposed producer tax hikes is scheduled to take place in Houston Tuesday.

With the “right kind of prices, the right kind of drilling,” natural gas shale could be the “long-dated fuel” for North America, Anadarko Petroleum CEO Jim Hackett said Tuesday. “But people shouldn’t get stars in their eyes without gas prices getting back pretty high,” he said at the company’s annual investor conference.

Massachusetts Congressmen James McGovern and Barney Frank on Wednesday appealed to President Bush to support the Navy’s plea to reopen the controversial case to site the Weaver’s Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Fall River, MA, on the grounds that it would interfere with the Navy’s testing of warfare systems.

While congressmen and regulators are busy scheduling investigations into high gas prices, consultants at Energy and Environmental Analysis Inc. (EEA) reiterated in their most recent Monthly Gas Update that they have been expounding the view of prevailing gas market tightness since the late 1990s. “To put it bluntly, barring real warm winter weather or a deep recession, five dollar per MMBtu plus natural gas prices are here to stay for the next few years,” EEA said.

While congressmen and regulators are busy scheduling investigations into high gas prices, consultants at Energy and Environmental Analysis Inc. (EEA) reiterated in their most recent Monthly Gas Update that they have been expounding the view of prevailing gas market tightness since the late 1990s. “To put it bluntly, barring real warm winter weather or a deep recession, five dollar per MMBtu plus natural gas prices are here to stay for the next few years,” EEA said.

Two congressional lawmakers have called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deny Independence Pipeline’s bid for a further extension of its in-service date until November 2004.

Two congressional lawmakers have called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deny Independence Pipeline’s bid for a further extension of its in-service date until November 2004.

California’s governor plans to keep stirring the pot in the waning days of April, but he is realistic enough to know the pace of his energy initiatives won’t run any faster than the political wheels that turn in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. While he waits for state and federal legislative help, Gov. Gray Davis will focus on new generation this week, naming a “generation czar” to replace a loaned utility executive and continuing to try to mend political fences, according to his press spokesman.

By springtime, the little old ladies and a few congressmen who have been fighting northeastern pipeline construction tooth and nail for the past few years may be screaming “where’s the gas” if prices spike to the levels expected.