Discussions

Pennsylvania lawmakers have restarted discussions about imposing an impact fee on natural gas operators by removing the fee from legislation introduced earlier this year.

Natural gas will play an ever expanding role over the next decade to meet the energy needs of New Brunswick (NB), according to a 10-year energy plan unveiled by the New Brunswick Department of Energy on Wednesday.

Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE) on Wednesday warned potential takeover target Southern Union Co. that opening up separate discussions with Williams would be a “willful and intentional breach” of their merger agreement.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) is buying Petrohawk Energy Corp.’s half of the companies’ Haynesville Shale midstream joint venture, KinderHawk Field Services, and also acquiring a 25% interest in Petrohawk’s gas gathering and treating business in the Eagle Ford Shale, the companies said.

Houston’s Apache Corp. is in talks to buy $10-12 billion of BP plc’s properties, including some of its Alaskan assets, two people familiar with the discussions told NGI.

Due to ongoing settlement discussions, FERC Chief Judge Curtis Wagner last Monday gave the go-ahead for a two-week suspension of the Section 5 complaint proceeding in which Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America LLC (NGPL) is accused of overrecovering its cost of service by more than 20% (see NGI, Nov. 23, 2009). But trial staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last Thursday asked Wagner to suspend the entire procedural schedule, saying that parties in the case had agreed to settlement terms.

Due to ongoing settlement discussions, FERC Chief Judge Curtis Wagner Monday gave the go-ahead for a two-week suspension of the Section 5 complaint proceeding in which Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America LLC (NGPL) is accused of overrecovering its cost of service by more than 20% (see Daily GPI, Nov. 20, 2009).

Due to ongoing settlement discussions, FERC Chief Judge Curtis Wagner Monday gave the go-ahead for a two-week suspension of the Section 5 complaint proceeding in which Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America LLC (NGPL) is accused of overrecovering its cost of service by more than 20% (see Daily GPI, Nov. 20, 2009).

Midland, TX-based Legacy Reserves LP, which focuses its exploration and production in the Permian Basin and in the Midcontinent, has ended discussions with Apollo Management VII LP to take the company private. The Legacy board of directors’ conflicts committee said it was unable to reach an agreement with Apollo and that it would be in the best interests of its unitholders to remain a publicly held partnership. To improve its liquidity position and mitigate the risk of falling commodity prices, Legacy, which was formed in 1993, also has entered into new oil and natural gas commodity swaps.