Eliminate

A new pipeline may be needed in Southern California to eliminateimpending gas supply and infrastructure constraints, which couldbecome critical in the next few years, according to participants ata one-day roundtable set up by the California Public UtilitiesCommission (CPUC) Tuesday in San Diego. Demand is expected to farexceed supply in the burgeoning southern end of California and onboth sides of the U.S.-Mexican border, where population, industrialand energy growth are surpassing expectations,

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania CEO Gary J. Robinson praised aproposal by Pennsylvania’s governor to eliminate the 5% grossreceipts tax levied on the state’s residential gas users.

Conoco plans to eliminate nearly a thousand positions in 1999due to low oil prices and a need to improve operational efficiency.The layoffs will result in a $50 million after-tax charge againstConoco’s fourth quarter earnings, the company announced Tuesday.Conoco also said it was reducing its 1999 capital budget by $500million to $1.8 billion.

In this uncertain world Pittsburgh-based Weatherwise USA isoffering to eliminate one weather-related stress factor – that ofskyrocketing gas heating and cooling bills. The WeatherwiseWeatherProof Bills program claims to be the first to offer afixed-price gas service that eliminates weather- and gasprice-related uncertainty for individual consumers.

In this uncertain world Pittsburgh-based Weatherwise USA isoffering to eliminate one weather-related stress factor-that ofskyrocketing gas heating and cooling bills. The WeatherwiseWeatherProof Bills (sm) program claims to be the first to offer afixed price gas service that eliminates weather- and gasprice-related uncertainty for individual consumers.

Occidental Petroleum’s oil and gas drilling subsidiary laid off80 employees in Bakersfield, CA, on Wednesday, and will eliminateanother 130 jobs as part of a restructuring triggered by low crudeoil prices and its poor stock price performance. The subsidiary’swork force at its Bakersfield headquarters will be pared down to135 by eliminating 210 jobs and transferring another 50 employees.The company’s stock price plummeted last month to a new 52-week lowof 17 3/4 from a high of 30 3/4. It’s stock closed up 9/16 onWednesday following the announcement, but fell 1/8 Thursday to 221/8.

FERC has approved a $6 million expansion of Pacific GasTransmission Northwest’s (PG&E GT-NW) system that will increasecapacity between Kingsgate, BC, and Stanfield, OR, by 56,000 Dth/dand provide additional systemwide winter capacity of 20,000 Dth/d.