Consolidating

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is questioning the need to build two pipelines to transport regasified gas from proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the Bahamas to southern Florida. It believes that “some consolidation” of the proposed Tractebel Calypso Pipeline and AES Ocean Express Pipeline projects is warranted.

Acknowledging the converging and consolidating natural gas and power industries, Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioners last week issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (RM01-10) combining the standards of conduct for natural gas pipelines and electric transmission providers and broadening their application to require separation of the regulated monopolies from all other company affiliates.

Energy East Corp., which continues to favor consolidating the New York, New England and Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland independent system operators (ISOs), recently offered a blueprint of ways to improve an ongoing process under which the Northeast ISOs are looking to enhance regional reliability.

Energy East Corp., which continues to favor consolidating the New York, New England and Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland independent system operators (ISOs), recently offered a blueprint of ways to improve an ongoing process under which the Northeast ISOs are looking to enhance regional reliability.

The energy online marketplace is crowded, confused and on theverge of shaking out and consolidating, according to three whoshould know, two CEOs of successful trading platforms and a Nymexexecutive, who last week shared their predictions at the EnergyRiskTech Conference in Houston.

The energy online marketplace is crowded, confused and on theverge of shaking out and consolidating, according to three whoshould know, two CEOs of successful trading platforms and a Nymexexecutive, who yesterday shared their predictions at the EnergyRiskTech Conference in Houston.

PG&ampE Corp. is consolidating overall management of its PacificNorthwest and Texas natural gas operations to gain someefficiencies and prepare for expanding into unspecified marketsthroughout North America. A total of about 100 positions, less than10% of the 1,000-person work force, will be eliminated from PG&ampEGas Transmission (PG&ampE GT)-spread equally among the Texas andPortland, OR, operations.

Amoco said yesterday it would consolidate its U.S. explorationand production management offices in Houston to cut costs andincrease competitiveness. About 660 E&P management, technicaland administrative jobs in Denver and New Orleans will be affected.Many of the positions will be relocated to Houston, but Amoco saidthere will be some jobs eliminated as well.

Southern Company Energy Marketing – the marketing joint ventureof Southern Company unit Southern Energy and Vastar Resources’Vastar Gas Marketing and Vastar Power Marketing — plans to movesome of its Houston employees, mainly traders, to its Atlantaoffice.