Finalizes

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) published in the Federal Register its final notice for Eastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Sale 189. The lease sale, which will be held at 9 a.m. on Dec. 10, in New Orleans, encompasses 256 blocks in the Eastern GOM Planning Area and covers 1.47 million acres. Available unleased blocks in the planning area number 138 and cover 794,880 acres.

Continuing on towards the goal of restoring its balance sheet to health, the Williams Companies (TWC) said last week that it is finalizing a new $800 million credit facility primarily for the purpose of issuing letters of credit. The Tulsa-based company said Friday that it had completed the agreement ahead of schedule.

The Minerals Management Service has issued a final notice for its upcoming Lease sale 185, encompassing 4,460 available blocks in the Central Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf planning area offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The sale is scheduled for March 19 at the Hyatt Regency Conference Center in New Orleans.

The Minerals Management Service has issued a final notice for its upcoming Lease sale 185, encompassing 4,460 available blocks in the Central Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf planning area offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The sale is scheduled for March 19 at the Hyatt Regency Conference Center in New Orleans.

Williams last Tuesday said that it has completed its settlement with California resolving most of the company’s outstanding litigation and civil claims related to natural gas and power markets with the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

Several initiatives to increase domestic natural gas and oil production are included in the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Final Notice of Sale for Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 184, scheduled for Aug. 21 in New Orleans. The Final Notice was published in Thursday’s Federal Register. Along with the incentives, MMS has included the new required provisions to protect certain endangered and threatened species. The sale will be the first one scheduled under MMS’s current five-year leasing program, which will run through 2007 (see NGI, April 19).

Several initiatives to increase domestic natural gas and oil production are included in the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Final Notice of Sale for Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 184, scheduled for Aug. 21 in New Orleans. The Final Notice was published in Thursday’s Federal Register. Along with the incentives, MMS has included the new required provisions to protect certain endangered and threatened species. The sale will be the first one scheduled under MMS’s current five-year leasing program, which will run through 2007 (see Daily GPI, April 18).

Several initiatives to increase domestic natural gas and oil production are included in the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Final Notice of Sale for Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 184, scheduled for Aug. 21 in New Orleans. The Final Notice was published in Thursday’s Federal Register. Along with the incentives, MMS has included the new required provisions to protect certain endangered and threatened species. The sale will be the first one scheduled under MMS’s current five-year leasing program, which will run through 2007 (see Daily GPI, April 18).

The Texas Public Utility Commission last week finalized rules,which among other things, guarantee utility customers get a 6% ratecut when retail competition begins Jan. 1, 2002. The final rulesestablish the price utility affiliates will be allowed to charge.