Effort

So far its effort to reach outside the regulated utility structure with a new natural gas storage field in Northern California is not paying off for Portland, OR-based NW Natural, but CEO Gregg Kantor expressed confidence that things will turn around during a conference call Wednesday announcing second quarter earnings that were down quarter over quarter.

In an effort to capitalize on liquids-rich gas production in Texas and the Midcontinent and provide producers with a natural gas liquids (NGL) marketing alternative to Mont Belvieu, TX, Crosstex Energy Inc. unit Crosstex Energy LP said it is planning to expand Louisiana fractionation facilities and construct a new NGL pipeline.

In an effort to capitalize on emerging feedstock opportunities and growing North American demand, NOVA Chemicals Corp. is planning to build new polyethylene lines and expand ethylene production at two facilities, the Canadian chemical giant said Tuesday.

In an effort to comply with a series of regulations proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), American Electric Power (AEP) on Thursday announced a $6-8 billion plan to retire nearly 6,000 MW of coal-fueled power generation, upgrade or install advanced emissions reduction equipment on another 10,100 MW, refuel 1,070 MW of coal generation as 932 MW of natural gas capacity and build 1,220 MW of gas-fueled generation by the end of the decade.

In an effort to comply with a series of regulations proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), American Electric Power (AEP) on Thursday announced a $6-8 billion plan to retire nearly 6,000 MW of coal-fueled power generation, upgrade or install advanced emissions reduction equipment on another 10,100 MW, refuel 1,070 MW of coal generation as 932 MW of natural gas capacity and build 1,220 MW of gas-fueled generation by the end of the decade.

Senate Republicans Tuesday pushed back a Democratic effort to repeal $21 billion in oil and natural gas tax breaks for the five largest producers over the next decade. And Democrats responded Wednesday by erecting a barrier to Republicans’ pro-drilling measure.

Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) is asking the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for information about how it enforces its environmental regulations.

An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official told a Senate panel earlier this week that the agency is committed to cooperating with states to oversee the practice of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

While unconventional energy plays require more water than their conventional counterparts, it’s the rapid growth of those new plays that is shining a spotlight on how the oil and gas industries use water, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor told attendees at CERAWeek 2011 in Houston last week.