With the domestic shale gale in full force, Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the ranking Republican on the committee, vowed Tuesday to work together in a bipartisan effort to rethink energy regulation — but their differences on the issued appear unresolved.
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Wisconsin Energy (WE) is eyeing natural gas distribution infrastructure upgrades as one of several capital investment opportunities in the next two to four years, CEO Gale Klappa told financial analysts Thursday in reporting 2Q2011 earnings of $98 million (41 cents/share), compared with $88 million (37 cent/share) in 2Q2010. Current efforts nationally to update gas pipeline rules and regulations are expected to create the need for more investment in WE’s gas pipeline system, and the company expects to also have the opportunity to buy some existing gas-fired cogeneration facilities that the state of Wisconsin owns and operates. “We still have to deal with aging gas and electric infrastructure,” said Klappa. “I am very confident we will be seeing additional capital spending in the 2013-14 time frame related to additional regulation on gas distribution and pipeline safety. Those issues are being debated right now by FERC [the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] and the Congress.”
We Energies May Switch Coal-Fired Plant to Gas
Wisconsin Energy is considering converting its coal-fired Valley Power Plant in Milwaukee to gas-fired generation, CEO Gale Klappa told shareholders during the company’s annual meeting Thursday in Mequon, WI.
Wisconsin Energy Might Merge Gas Utilities
While reporting improved quarter-over-quarter earnings and a growing rate base in its utilities, Wisconsin Energy CEO Gale Klappa noted the anticipated start-up date for a second coal-fired generation plant at its Oak Creek facility won’t be commercial until near the end of this year.
Shell Hires Former Interior Secretary Norton
Royal Dutch Shell said Wednesday that it has hired former U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton as general counsel for Shell Exploration and Production’s unconventional resources division. Norton, who stepped down as Interior secretary in March, will provide and coordinate legal services for Shell starting in mid January, the company said.
Kempthorne Sworn in as Interior Secretary
Dirk Kempthorne, former governor of Idaho, was officially sworn in Wednesday as the secretary of the Department of Interior in a ceremony at the White House. He succeeds former Interior Secretary Gale Norton who departed in March.
Scarlett to Head Up Interior Until Norton Successor Confirmed
Interior Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett became acting secretary of the department when Gale Norton, the first woman to head Interior, departed Friday following five years with the Bush administration.
Interior Secretary’s Action on ROW Road Claims on Public Lands Sparks Controversy
Outgoing Interior Secretary Gale Norton was expected to sign a memorandum Wednesday that could open the door for states and local governments to assert rights-of-way (ROW) claims to thousands of miles of roads on public lands in the West, a move that environmentalists claim could lead to development of wildlife refuges, public parks and federal lands.
FL Senator Vows to Block Norton Successor Who Supports Stepped-Up Drilling
The announced resignation of Interior Secretary Gale Norton has given opponents of drilling off Florida’s coastline added impetus to stop the Bush administration’s proposal to open up more of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas leasing, said offshore drilling foe Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on Monday.
APGA, Industrials Urge Interior to Allow Leasing in Areas Under Drilling Moratoria
Citing high gas prices and declining production, industrial companies and municipal gas utilities urged Interior Secretary Gale Norton last week to include language in the agency’s next five-year oil and gas leasing plan (2007-2012) that will allow for lease sales in areas currently subject to drilling moratoria.