Gives

Retracing an early round of profit-taking, natural gas futuresclawed their way higher Friday as traders put the finishing toucheson a week in which prices not only notched a new life-of-contracthigh at $3.385, but also posted a fresh prompt contract 30-monthhigh. With Friday’s 0.2-cent increase, the June contract advancedeach day to gain 32.9 cents for the week. June finished at $3.354amid light estimated volume of just 54,639.

Just days after winning antitrust clearance from the Departmentof Justice (DOJ), the proposed merger of Philadelphia-based PECOEnergy Co. and Unicom Corp. of Chicago, parent of CommonwealthEdison Co., got more good news last week — it sailed through FERCwithout any conditions attached.

While electric restructuring at the federal level meandersalong, a broad group of industry and consumer organizationsreleased a list last week of 23 principles it believes should beincluded. The group is hoping its efforts might add some urgency tothe legislative process.

In a fiscal year 1999 performance report card submitted toCongress and the White House, the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission gave itself high marks for furthering competition in thenatural gas and electricity markets last year, citing the mega gasrule (Order 637), the RTO decision (Order 2000) and its FERC Firstinitiative as proof of its progress.

Questar Pipeline bought Enron Overthrust Pipeline Co.’s 18%interest in the Overthrust Pipeline effective Jan. 1, 2000. Thetransaction gives Questar Pipeline a 72% interest in the 88-mile,36-inch-diameter pipeline, which runs from the Whitney Canyon area— north of Evanston, WY, — to Rock Springs, WY. QuestarPipeline designed and built the Overthrust Pipeline, and hasoperated it since its completion in October 1982. Other partnersare Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America and Colorado Interstate GasCo. The Overthrust Pipeline is a segment of the 793-mileTrailblazer system, which runs from southwestern Wyoming toBeatrice, NE. “Increased ownership of the Overthrust Pipeline is anatural fit for us,” said Questar Pipeline President Nick Rose.”Its location in our service territory and proximity to ourfacilities and supply sources will enhance the services weprovide.”

Impressed with their handiwork following Tuesday’s positivemarket momentum, Nymex bulls were on the offensive again yesterdayas they loaded up on long positions ahead of yesterday’s storagereport. After opening at Tuesday’s high of $2.77, the Aprilcontract rumbled higher yesterday morning only to tumble back intothe $2.70s in the afternoon. The prompt month closed up 4.3 centsat $2.794.

In response to pressure from the market and Nymex, the AmericanGas Association last month announced that it would move forward therelease of its weekly gas storage data. Some traders and analystspredicted the change would increase liquidity, but most observersbelieved it would have little or no impact on the market. In fact,some market watchers even said the early release would decreasevolatility because of the natural efficiencies inherit in Nymex’sopen outcry trading system.

State regulators yesterday called on the Department ofTransportation (DOT) to put a hold on any proposed changes to aprogram that gives states authority to act as agents of the federalgovernment to conduct safety inspections of interstate pipelines intheir respective states.

Buoyed by a late short-covering rally natural gas futuresstruggled back up to just below unchanged yesterday as traderschose to wait on the sidelines ahead of the release of freshstorage data. The closing up-tick was the only feature bulls couldstomach in a market preoccupied by continued mild weather acrossmuch of the country. The February contract finished down 0.8 centsat $2.168 following a session that saw prices match Tuesday’s $2.20high but plumb a half-cent below Tuesday’s $2.13 low.