Difficult

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) is considering introducing legislation that could make it more difficult for mergers in the oil and natural gas industry to be consummated.

As natural gas prices continue to maintain their lofty levels, industries that use the commodity as a feedstock are finding it increasingly more difficult to conduct business as usual. As one of the largest energy users in Ohio, steel producers in the state said Thursday that they have grave concerns over natural gas prices, which have increased 400% in five years. In the most recent price run-up, the steel companies say that natural gas costs per ton of steel produced have tripled.

Looking at the weather scenario following what has been a difficult hurricane season, Andover, MA-based WSI Corp. said it expects the November-December period to be warmer-than-normal for a majority of the United States.

Looking at the weather scenario following what has been a difficult hurricane season, Andover, MA-based WSI Corp. said it expects the November-December period to be warmer-than-normal for a majority of the United States.

High natural gas prices and uncertainty about the regulatory landscape from state to state make it difficult for distributed generation to take hold as a means of forestalling future transmission line upgrades without first gaining utility sponsorship . Most installations don’t pencil out on a strictly on-site power-production basis, according to a San Diego-based consultant who talked with NGI/Power Market Today last Tuesday.

Having navigated a difficult period that included the August 2003 blackout, energy companies maintained a stable customer satisfaction rating, while “clear signs of deterioration” were found in electric utilities’ reputations among industry leaders and analysts, according to two separate studies released last week.

Coming at a difficult time for the energy markets, which are seeing high, and in some cases record breaking commodity prices, Shell said last Tuesday that it expects its Mars tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico to be down for another two to three weeks.

Coming at a difficult time for the energy markets, which are seeing high, and in some cases record breaking commodity prices, Shell said Tuesday that it expects its Mars tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico to be down for another two to three weeks.

It was difficult to discern a clear market direction Thursday as futures prices soared and plummeted, dragging the cash market behind. The EIA reported a larger than expected 111 Bcf weekly storage withdrawal, which initially sent prices higher, but it wasn’t enough to sustain a rally. Futures ended down about a dime and cash prices were mixed with some points up 15 cents while others were down 20 cents.