Earful

Fort Worth City Council members got an earful Tuesday night from a standing-room-only audience about a proposal to tighten drilling restrictions in the Barnett Shale town. Protected use areas, multiple well pad site permitting and saltwater disposal are among the items being weighed.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials got an earful Thursday night in Fort Worth, TX, at the first of four hearings to determine the scope of a study on the impact of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracing) processes on groundwater.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials got an earful Thursday night in Fort Worth, TX, at the first of four hearings to determine the scope of a study on the impact of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracing) processes on groundwater.

A week after rolling blackouts hit parts of the state, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) executives last week got an earful from senators who made it clear their patience has worn thin with controversies and bickering surrounding the organization.

Officials of Florida Gas Transmission faced a tougher crowd than usual at its customer meeting in Key Biscayne, FL late in the week ending May 10, according to reports from attendees. The shippers were upset about two force majeures declared by the pipe in the days leading up to the meeting, and that was before a third force majeure in just over a week occurred on the meeting’s last day. Disagreements about curtailment priorities were also on the customers’ agenda.

Efforts by FERC to get a handle on how much California is due for possible electricity overcharges by generators are coming under fire from a number of quarters. Public power entities are arguing that the Commission has no right to assert authority over municipals, while several power marketers question why those parties that are potentially on the hook for refunds have never been given the chance to defend themselves and offer evidence as to whether refunds should have been ordered in the first place.

Several producers who blasted El Paso Natural Gas last week in aSection 5 complaint at FERC got an earful right back from thepipeline yesterday. El Paso wasted no time in filing an answer, andin an interview with NGI, A.W. “Al” Clark, El Paso’s vice presidentof marketing and operations control, said this is just another casein which producers are attempting to hide behind FERC because theyare afraid of competition.