Crisis

Five years after a wholesale energy market crisis with lasting economic and political ramifications, one of which was his election to California’s highest office two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger late Thursday in his state-of-the-state address only once referred to energy during a 20-minute, 2,500-word speech in Sacramento. When talking about environmental and state infrastructure programs the “e-word” never crossed the former movie actor’s lips.

Signaling a marked change four years after the depth of the western energy crisis, Sempra Energy’s top utility executive said Tuesday that California offers some good growth opportunities for utilities in an “improving regulatory environment.”

Signaling a marked change four years after the depth of the western energy crisis, Sempra Energy’s top utility executive said Tuesday that California offers some good growth opportunities for utilities in an “improving regulatory environment.”

California’s Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the state budget crisis put to bed for the new fiscal year, is planning to turn his attention to energy. In his “state-of-the-state” address kicking off the year he emphasized the so-called hydrogen highway, energy efficiency and renewables, but he has stressed that much can be done within an existing law (AB 57) passed two years ago.

If the natural gas market is considered to be in a crisis now, or at least difficult straits, the outlook for the market ahead is anything but settling, according to a study released by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) and sponsored by Accenture last Monday.

If the natural gas market is considered to be in a crisis now, or at least difficult straits, the outlook for the market ahead is anything but settling, according to a study released by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) and sponsored by Accenture Monday.

While there was general agreement by all but a few responding so far to FERC’s latest request for comments (PL03-3) that there is an overall improvement in natural gas price reporting and price transparency, several companies had suggestions to fine-tune the system .

While there was general agreement by all but a few responding so far to FERC’s latest request for comments that there is an overall improvement in natural gas price reporting and price transparency, several companies had suggestions to fine-tune the system.

Even in the midst of a brewing international oil crisis and the state’s skyrocketing gasoline prices at the pump, Californians are expanding their organized opposition to proposed offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals along the state’s southern Pacific Coast. Hoping to head off the ground swell, One proponent already has scheduled community information meetings later this month in Oxnard and Malibu, CA, the onshore entry point for a terminal 22 miles offshore.