Effective

NGPL reported discovery of a gas quality problem at the Amoco-Red Oak receipt point in Latimer County, OK. Effective today until further notice, NGPL will not be scheduling gas at the point.

Lakehead Pipe Line Co. Inc. appointed Dan C. Tutcher to the position of president of the company effective June 5, 2001. Tutcher was previously the chairman, president and CEO of Midcoast Energy Resources Inc. from its formation in 1992 until it was acquired on May 11, 2001, by Enbridge Inc. At that time, Tutcher was appointed group vice president, transportation group south, by Enbridge. Lakehead Pipe Line is the General Partner of Lakehead Pipe Line Partners, L.P. and is indirectly wholly owned by Enbridge. “The Houston-based business development team brought over from Midcoast has an established track record of profitable growth, which we expect to continue on behalf of Lakehead,” said Tutcher. “In particular, our knowledge of emerging Mid-continent and Gulf Coast transportation requirements and excellent relationships within the energy industry will allow us to execute our strategy.”

Enron Corp. reported that Vice Chairman J. Clifford Baxter is resigning effective immediately. “Over the past 10 years, Cliff has made a tremendous contribution to Enron’s evolution, particularly as a member of the team that built Enron’s wholesale business,” said Jeff Skilling, Enron’s CEO. “His creativity, intelligence, sense of humor and straightforward manner have been assets to the company throughout his career. While we will miss him, we are happy that his primary reason for resigning is to spend additional time with his family, and we wish him the very best.” Baxter, who will continue working for the company as a consultant, joined Enron in 1991 and was chairman and CEO of Enron North America prior to being named chief strategy officer for Enron Corp. in June 2000 and vice chairman in October 2000.

After warning of its possibility Tuesday (see Daily GPI, April 4), Sonat said Wednesday it is implementing a Type 5 OFO, effective with Friday’s gas day, due to excess production upstream of its facilities in Logansport, LA. “The quantities currently flowing into the Logansport facilities have decreased very little and the operational problems [with dehydration equipment] have not been alleviated,” Sonat said in its bulletin board posting. Affecting 25 points in the Logansport Field and another 24 in the Joaquin Field, the OFO calls for receipts exceeding 104% of scheduled quantities to be penalized $15/Dth.

End-of-month convergence wasn’t very effective as mostlate-February swing prices earlier this week were appreciablystronger than March indexes. However, except for dropoffs at a fewscattered points, first-of-March convergence with indexes wasfairly tidy. Cold weather spreading into the South was largelyresponsible for initial March aftermarket prices to gain anywherefrom about a nickel to 20 cents over last-of-February numbers.

El Paso declared an Unauthorized Overpull Penalty situationSunday. It is effective until further notice.

Effective today, Sonat is canceling an OFO Type 3 that wasimplemented last Friday for five groups on its system (see Daily GPI,Dec. 28). An OFO Type 22 that began lastSaturday for nine groups on Sonat’s South Georgia facilities (seeDaily GPI, Dec. 29) was lifted Thursday.

Effective Saturday (Dec. 9) Northwest planned to move from itsthen-current Stage II (8%) Entitlement for delivery points north ofKemmerer (WY) Station to a Stage 1 (3%) Entitlement. Northwest saidit was taking the action to insure operational integrity “giventhat the system has been drafted for the last two days andextremely cold weather is predicted for most of Northwest’smarkets.”

CMS Energy President and COO Victor J. Fryling will leave thecompany effective Dec. 20, the company announced yesterday.