Environment

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has pushed back her timeline for completing mark-up on climate change legislation to early September.

With traders eyeing the continued deterioration of the natural gas technical and fundamental environment, May futures on Friday plumbed new lows for the move, further exposing the possibility of a breach of the $3 price level. The prompt-month contract ended Friday’s regular session at $3.297, down 11.2 cents from Thursday’s finish and a whopping 43.2 cents lower than the previous week’s close.

DCP Midstream LLC and its master limited partnership DCP Midstream Partners LP restored operations at their gas processing complex and residue gas delivery system, known as the Carthage Hub, in East Texas, following a Feb. 11 explosion and fire resulting from a third-party pipeline rupture. Production was temporarily shut in at the processing complex and the residue gas delivery system following the incident (see NGI, Feb. 16), which occurred just outside DCP Midstream’s property. The aboveground residue delivery system was damaged in the fire and remained partially shut in as a result of the 16-inch pipeline rupture, the company said last month (see NGI, March 2). The complex consists of five gas processing plants with capacity of approximately 780 MMcf/d. The Carthage Hub has approximately 1.5 Bcf/d of delivery capacity. The East Texas joint venture facilities are operated by DCP Midstream and owned 75% by DCP Midstream and 25% by DCP Midstream Partners. As previously announced, DCP Midstream Partners has agreed to acquire an additional 25.1% interest in the East Texas joint venture from DCP Midstream in a transaction expected to close in April.

Firing power plants with regasified liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a better bet for the environment than burning coal to generate electricity, even in advanced technology plants, according to a study commissioned by the Washington, DC-based Center for LNG. The findings contradict research released in 2007 by Pittsburgh, PA-based Carnegie Mellon University.

Firing power plants with regasified liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a better bet for the environment than burning coal to generate electricity, even in advanced technology plants, according to a study commissioned by the Washington, DC-based Center for LNG. The findings contradict research released in 2007 by Pittsburgh, PA-based Carnegie Mellon University.

The praise from the West was loud and strong Wednesday in support of President-elect Obama’s energy and environment team. The Western Governors’ Association (WGA) pledged to work closely with team members, and San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) said the selections indicated an “ambitious and important agenda.”

Energy conservation is good for the environment and helps consumers save money, but it also bolsters the esteem in which utilities are held by their customers, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2008 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

Energy conservation is good for the environment and helps consumers save money, but it also bolsters the esteem in which utilities are held by their customers, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2008 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

In a market environment where the only certainty is that there is none, natural gas wholesale buying requires a philosophy that is constantly reviewed and reiterated to organizational leaders, said Val Trinkley, general manager of EnergyUSA, speaking at GasMart 2008 in Chicago Thursday. The energy marketer with NiSource conducted a workshop on “Natural Gas Risk Management — Developing a Strategy.”