Hearing

In what he described as “a contrarian view to what we’re hearing in the marketplace,” Paul Corby, senior vice president of Planalytics Inc., said he thinks natural gas prices could be close to $5.50/MMBtu later this year and possibly as high as $6.50/MMBtu in 2012.

In what he described as “a contrarian view to what we’re hearing in the marketplace,” Paul Corby, senior vice president of Planalytics Inc., said Wednesday he thinks natural gas prices could be close to $5.50/MMBtu later this year and possibly as high as $6.50/MMBtu in 2012.

A small midstream outfit with utility status in Pennsylvania is looking to add some Marcellus Shale business.

Action is pending following hearing of the Washington state legislature’s House Environment Committee, which is considering a Senate-passed measure (SB 5769) calling for the phased closure of the state’s only coal-fired electric generation plant and the construction of a natural gas-fired plant on adjacent property at the Centralia coal facility (see Daily GPI, March 9). A committee staff member told NGI Friday that there is no established date for when the committee will vote on the measure, which is the outgrowth of an agreement earlier this year among Centralia plant operator/owner TransAlta, environmental groups and the state. The legislation is conditioned upon certain state and federal regulatory actions, including getting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to exempt the coal-fired plant from looming greenhouse gas emissions restrictions, that would save TransAlta some $600 million on emission-control equipment while it still sold power to utilities in the region.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has set a hearing for Wednesday to see if the state’s new governor can block a cap-and-trade provision affecting oil/gas operations and power generation. The New Mexico Environmental Law Center filed earlier this month with the state’s highest court, contending that Gov. Susana Martinez violated proper legal protocol in attempting to block a new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rule.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has set a hearing for next Wednesday to see if the state’s new governor can block a cap-and-trade provision affecting oil/gas operations and power generation. The New Mexico Environmental Law Center filed earlier this month with the state’s highest court, contending that Gov. Susana Martinez violated proper legal protocol in attempting to block a new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rule.

Two lawsuits were filed in Dallas Wednesday alleging that units of Devon Energy Corp., Encana Corp. and Chesapeake Energy Corp. contaminated water wells in the Barnett Shale with hydraulic fracturing and the storage of drilling waste.

California regulators have filed a protest of El Paso Natural Gas Co.’s proposed rate increase. They have requested a hearing in the matter, and asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to suspend El Paso’s proposed rates for the maximum five-month period.

California regulators have filed a protest of El Paso Natural Gas Co.’s proposed rate increase. They have requested a hearing in the matter, and asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to suspend El Paso’s proposed rates for the maximum five-month period.