Filled

Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly have begun considering House Bill 2399, which among other things would provide a tax credit to companies that create new jobs related to the Marcellus Shale.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has now filled its expanded senior leadership team for gas operations under Executive Vice President Nick Stavropoulos, who joined the San Francisco-based combination utility last year to head up a reorganized and more independent gas operating unit. Kevin Knapp signed on as vice president for gas distribution in March, bringing 30 years of industry experience, including National Grid and KeySpan; and Sean Kolassa assumed the new position of vice president, investment planning in February, bringing 15 years of gas experience. In addition, Roland Trevino, vice president for public safety and integrity management, joined PG&E last August after being a senior director at El Paso Natural Gas in Colorado. They join Mel Christopher, senior director for gas system operations, who also brought 30 years of gas industry when he joined PG&E last June. The other gas team leaders include PG&E veterans Kirk Johnson, vice president for gas transmission; Sumeet Singh, senior director of asset knowledge management who previously headed gas engineering operations; and Jane Yura, vice president for standards and policies.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy filled out its liquefied natural gas (LNG) dance card last week, announcing late Wednesday that is has inked a third and final commercial development agreement with a subsidiary of GDF Suez SA to develop the final liquefaction train at its proposed Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, LA.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy filled out its liquefied natural gas (LNG) dance card, announcing late Wednesday that is has inked a third and final commercial development agreement with a subsidiary of GDF Suez SA to develop the final liquefaction train at Sempra’s proposed export facility at its Cameron LNG terminal in Hackberry, LA. With this third partner, Sempra officials said they are more than ready for the dance.

A ballot initiative to raise the Arkansas severance tax on natural gas production being promoted by former gas industry executive Sheffield Nelson recently drew a few more foes, according to the energy industry-backed anti-tax group Arkansans for Jobs & Affordable Energy (AJAE). The Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC), the Poultry Federation and the Northwest Arkansas Council recently signed on in opposition to the tax hike on producers. “…[O]ur association believes a natural gas severance tax increase would be harmful for Arkansas counties and for Arkansans,” said Chris Villines, executive director of the AAC.

California Gov. Jerry Brown has filled the five-member California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with his third appointment, Mark Ferron, 52, a senior partner at Silicon Valley Social Ventures, and a former investment banker in London with Deutsche Bank’s global markets division (2001-2009). He also worked as an executive with Salomon Brothers and Bank of America earlier in his financial industry career. Ferron hold a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University. He joins CPUC President Michael Peevey, and Commissioners Timothy Alan Simon, Michael Florio and Catherine Sandoval on the CPUC. The latter two were appointed by Brown earlier this year.

The jurisdiction dispute between FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should be decided by lawmakers in Congress, FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff and his immediate predecessor, Joseph Kelliher, said during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington, DC, last Tuesday.

In a room filled with citizens and elected representatives all opposing the project, the California Coastal Commission Thursday listened all day to its staff and the public before unanimously rejecting plans for an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal by Australian mining giant BHP Billiton. Company representatives were in attendance but declined several invitations from the coastal commission to speak.

As part of a large bundle of new appointments late Friday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger filled three of the five seats on the oversight board of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and reappointed one of the five members of the California Energy Commission (CEC). All of the selections require confirmation by the California Senate.