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Is there any corner of the U.S. society that hasn’t been touched by the so-called “Enron Effect”? Even the nation’s “fourth estate,” daily newspapers, reported that business editors now are taking a new, harder look at the companies they cover to avoid any more surprises among bastions of commerce, according to a report in this week’s (March 11) newspaper industry magazine Editor & Publisher.

In a press conference originally set up to update the public about international affairs, President Bush said Friday that he had not had any contact with Enron Corp. officials since the bankruptcy filing, but said he was concerned about the city of Houston and the ex-Enron employees who had lost their “life savings” when the company declared bankruptcy.

While hasn’t there been a slow-down in the frenzy of exploration and production activity in the Rockies since gas prices in the region have plummeted in the last few months while prices in other areas of the country have experienced much softer declines? The answer, according to Raymond James & Associates analyst Wayne Andrews, is that significant new pipeline infrastructure is on its way to help relieve continuing constraints.

Although the sky appears to be the limit for the current gasmarket, it apparently hasn’t affected the long-term optimism of theEnergy Information Administration. EIA actually predicts priceswill begin to decline in 2002 and basically flatten out through2020. That will occur, EIA believes, despite a massive increase ingas consumption to nearly 35 Tcf by 2020.

Consolidation hasn’t stopped and, in fact, will play a big rolein the future for both large and small players in the oil and gasindustry, said David Moore, a strategic practices consultant forAndersen Consulting.

Consolidation hasn’t stopped and, in fact, will play a big rolein the future for both large and small players in the oil and gasindustry, said David Moore, a strategic practices consultant forAndersen Consulting.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. hasn’t given up on targeting New England power generation demand for gas. The pipeline is holding an open season for its Eastern Express: New England Expansion through 2 p.m. CST Oct. 15.

“Following the screen”-a market catch-phrase that hasn’t been asmuch in vogue in recent weeks as it used to be-regained popularityMonday as cash prices had little else on which to base modestfirming. New quotes ranged from essentially flat in the Californiaand Northeast markets to as much as a nickel or so higher at pointssuch as the Chicago citygate and El Paso-San Juan (Blanco). Withweather in most areas staying mild and the storage situation stillbearish, it’s hard to see where else beside futures that cash couldhave derived any strength, sources said.