Consumers

Many consumers have less money than they did a year ago, but they are happier about paying their natural gas utility bills, according to the new J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

Many consumers have less money than they did a year ago, but they are happier about paying their natural gas utility bills, according to the new J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

Shale gas is reviving the domestic chemical industry, has already sparked growth in exports, and going forward it will boost the U.S. economy through new jobs in supplier industries and other manufacturers benefiting from cheap, plentiful energy, according to the National Petroleum Council (NPC).

Attractive margins, supported by shale plays, are driving producers and consumers to perpetuate a boom in natural gas liquids (NGL) while midstream infrastructure is running to keep up with demand, Enterprise Products Partners LP COO Jim Teague said last week.

Attractive margins, supported by shale plays, are driving producers and consumers to perpetuate a boom in natural gas liquids (NGL) while midstream infrastructure is running to keep up with demand, Enterprise Products Partners LP COO Jim Teague said Tuesday.

Local distribution company (LDC) and large industrial gas consumers have learned a lot over the years about managing their assets more efficiently from gas marketing companies, but the shale boom has created a new challenge.

Local distribution company (LDC) and large industrial gas consumers have learned a lot over the years about managing their assets more efficiently from gas marketing companies, but the shale boom has created a new challenge.

End-users, including oil and natural gas producers, utilities and industrial energy consumers, got their wish last Tuesday when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved proposed rules that would exempt commercial end-users from margin requirements on derivative transactions involved in the hedging or mitigation of risk.

New Mexico House Speaker Ben Lujan has introduced legislation to boost the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel. HB 198 would give consumers an alternative to soaring gasoline prices and providing some incentives to convert their vehicles to run on compressed or liquefied natural gas. Currently, there are nine natural gas transportation fueling stations in the state, and most of the natural gas vehicles (NGV) are owned by municipalities. Under the proposed law vehicle owners would be credited with 70% of the conversion costs to switch to an NGV after receiving a 40% federal tax credit between now and Jan.1, 2017. A similar bill passed the state’s House last year but died in the Senate Finance Committee. Lujan said the typical NGV costs about $1.76/gallon, compared with more than $3/gallon for gasoline-fueled vehicles.