President Obama plans to renominate John Norris as a Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to serve a full five-year term to mid-2017. In January 2010 Norris, a former Iowa regulator, joined the Commission to complete the term of former Chairman Joseph Kelliher (see NGI, Jan. 11, 2010). Norris previously was a board member and chair of the Iowa Utilities Board. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee plans to hold a combined confirmation hearing for Norris and North Dakota regulator Tony Clark, who recently was nominated to succeed former Commissioner Marc Spitzer (see NGI, Jan. 30). Spitzer, a Republican, stepped down in December after completing a five-year term at FERC. “It would make sense to do the two FERC nominations together” in one confirmation hearing, said Bill Wicker, a spokesman for Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). “It would be like one-stop shopping.” He further noted that there was no rush for the Senate energy panel to vote out the nominations. “The Commission has got a good working quorum…We’re not foot-dragging, but we’re not in a rush either.”
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Obama Taps Norris for a Second Term at FERC
President Obama on Friday announced his intent to renominate John Norris to remain as a commissioner at FERC and serve a full five-year term to mid-2017.
ExxonMobil Still Bullish on Natural Gas
ExxonMobil Corp., the largest natural gas producer in North America, is well aware of the economics in drilling U.S. and Canadian dry natural gas wells today. But it has no plans now to shut in any gas wells, the investor relations chief said last week.
NiSource Unveils Plans for New Pennsylvania Marcellus Pipeline
NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage (NGT&S) is in the latter stages of developing a 90-mile pipeline in western Pennsylvania to support increased Marcellus Shale natural gas production, NiSource Inc. officials said Wednesday.
Drilling Gets a Boost from Governor in California, Oxy CEO Says
While reporting a big increase in 4Q2011 and full-year profits, Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) CEO Stephen Chazen on Wednesday said the permitting process for drilling in California had been streamlined, and he credited Gov. Jerry Brown for the turnaround.
ConocoPhillips Buys Liquids, Shuts in Gas
ConocoPhillips revealed Wednesday that in the last three months of 2011 it acquired more than 100,000 acres in North American liquids-rich shale plays, bringing its unconventional acquisitions last year to more than 500,000 acres.
Chesapeake Midstream Buys Marcellus System, Eyes More Growth
With one transaction, Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP (CHKM) has become the “biggest gathering system in the Marcellus Shale,” CEO J. Mike Stice said Thursday.
Transportation Notes
Northwest is reducing the available capacity at the Spokane Mead throughput point to 130,000 Dth/d effective Friday, saying demand in the Spokane, WA, area is not sufficient for it to schedule full design capacity at Starr Road. “This reduction is necessary to ensure operational reliability on the Spokane Lateral,” the pipeline said. “If necessary, Northwest will also cut alternate gas at other points on the lateral to maintain operational integrity. As the weather turns colder and the Spokane area can effectively burn the gas being nominated at Starr Road, Northwest will return all points on the lateral to design capacity.”
Eagle Ford An Employment Plus for South Texas
The oil and gas industry in the Eagle Ford Shale is growing so much that it is helping to create “entire communities” in some areas of South Texas, according to Kevin Robins, general manager of Job News USA in San Antonio.
Researchers: North Carolina Should Weigh Drilling, Fracking Risks
Lawmakers in North Carolina should consider several health and environmental measures as they weigh the legalization of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in their state, researchers at Duke University said in a new report.
