Dumped

With the state’s governor saying natural gas needs to play a key energy role, the California State Lands Commission (CSLC), which in April dumped on a proposed offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, recently gave its approval to a proposed expansion of the North Baja Pipeline to enhance the state’s ability to receive some of the supplies starting next year at Sempra Energy’s Costa Azul LNG receiving terminal along the Pacific Coast of North Baja California, Mexico.

With the state’s governor saying natural gas needs to play a key energy role, the California Lands Commission, which in April dumped on a proposed offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, last Friday gave its approval to a proposed expansion of the North Baja Pipeline to enhance the state’s ability to receive some of the supplies starting next year at Sempra Energy’s Costa Azul LNG receiving terminal along the Pacific Coast of North Baja California, Mexico.

California environmental officials have asked Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to step up its efforts to keep toxin-laced groundwater from its natural gas transmission pipeline operations near the California-Arizona border from seeping into the nearby Colorado River, which is a major source of drinking water for 18 million people in Southern California. Tainted groundwater from a nearby compressor station reportedly has gotten within 60 feet of the river, according to a Los Angeles Times news report last week.

Over a one-month period last summer, Chuck Watson, the former chairman and CEO of Dynegy, apparently sold off a substantial amount of shares he was holding in the fallen energy merchant. According to a series of filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), more than 5 million shares of Watson’s Dynegy stock were sold between June and July.

A Nor’easter dumped snow from D.C. to Boston yesterday, fuelingthe bullish momentum in the gas futures pit. It also forced Nymexto close up shop an hour early and plan for a one-hour delayedopening today.