Hearings

After six months of hearings the presidential commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon rig disaster released its final report Tuesday, calling for major safety reforms in the offshore oil and natural gas industry, such as the creation of an industry-run offshore safety institute. Producers were divided on some of the report’s conclusions and recommendations.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has set for hearing a complaint by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against Range Resources Corp. alleging methane contamination of residential water wells in Parker County in the Barnett Shale play (see Shale Daily, Dec. 9). The hearing date is to be Jan. 10. “Because this matter has now been set for hearing, and the commission will sit in judgment of the facts, the commissioners cannot comment on the case,” said RRC General Counsel Lindil Fowler. “However, RRC staff expects both parties, the EPA as well as Range Resources representatives, to appear before hearings examiners and testify as to the allegations…”

With a line-up of Capitol Hill hearings scheduled this week on the explosion and massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), some lawmakers are expected to hold the Interior Department’s feet to the fire for what they believe is the department’s role in the disaster.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Thursday said they will hold two joint hearings to receive testimony from market experts and the public on how to harmonize the agencies’ market regulation. The back-to-back meetings will be on Sept. 2 at the CFTC and Sept. 3 at SEC headquarters.

Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio will be phasing itself out of the gas commodity supply business in its western Ohio service territory. The utility, regulators and the state’s consumer advocate all expect the net result to be a cost savings for gas consumers.

Joint federal-state open houses and scoping hearings will be held Wednesday and Thursday at two onshore interconnection points for NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc.’s proposed Clearwater Port offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal project.

On Friday, three days before a Senate subcommittee begins hearings on “Excessive Speculation In The Natural Gas Market,” the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) proposed a broad expansion of its regulations on reporting commodities market transactions, including futures and electronic exchange transactions, as well as cash market transactions and hedging transactions.

On Friday, three days before a Senate subcommittee begins hearings on “Excessive Speculation In The Natural Gas Market,” the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) proposed a broad expansion of its regulations on reporting commodities market transactions, including futures and electronic exchange transactions, as well as cash market transactions and hedging transactions.

Former Enron Corp. CFO Andrew Fastow has been the object of “unprecedented public humiliation” on television, in Congressional hearings, in books, magazines, the Internet and in “written and verbal insults and threats,” and he is requesting leniency when he is sentenced to federal prison next week.