Held

For the most part, a bearish trend in the fading December swingmarket once again held sway Thursday. With the continuing exceptionof rises at some Northeast citygates, most points registered pricedrops between about a dime and 50 cents. California, Sumas andTransco Zone 6 (non-NYC) led the way with triple-digit declines.

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker held a teleconference lastThursday with officials from three trade associations representinginterstate pipelines, major producers and independent producers todiscuss spiraling natural gas prices.

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker held a three-way teleconferenceThursday with officials from three trade associations representingpipelines, major producers and independent producers to discussspiraling natural gas prices.

Despite tumbling prices in the nearby cash market, natural gasfutures held their ground Tuesday as buyers were comforted byextremely oversold conditions and supportive intermediate-termtechnicals. After trading within a wide, 20-cent swath yesterday,the December contract finished at $4.49, a narrow 0.5-cent increasefor the session.

FERC last week held firm to its July order in which it awarded amuch-sought-after certificate to the controversial IndependencePipeline, rejecting numerous requests to reconsider whether theproject’s precedent agreements were binding and its market needjustified. Federal regulators also gave the go-ahead for Phase IIof ANR Pipeline’s Wisconsin expansion, a Reliant Energy GasTransmission looping expansion in Arkansas, and accorded apreliminary determination to Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line for itsproposed Sundance expansion in the Southeast.

California energy officials held their breath Monday and bracedthemselves for what might be the severest test yet for the state’soverworked electricity infrastructure and overheated wholesalepower market.

Baker Hughes and Schlumberger plan to create a new seismicventure called Western GECO that would combine and own the seismicacquisition assets, data processing assets, and multi-clientseismic libraries and other assets of their existing subsidiariesWestern Geophysical and GECO-Prakla. The transaction is expected tobe completed before the end of the year and is subject toregulatory approvals. Upon formation of the venture, Baker Hugheswould receive from Schlumberger $500 million in cash. Thetransaction would also allow Baker Hughes to make certain workingcapital and asset reductions valued at $100 million. Baker Hughesand Schlumberger would own 30% and 70% of the venture,respectively. The companies have made filings under theHart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, and areresponding to requests for additional information from theDepartment of Justice. In addition, Baker Hughes and Schlumbergerintend to make additional filings with regulatory authorities incertain European and other countries.

After being held to an extremely-tight, 6-cent trading range formuch of the trading session yesterday, natural gas futures cameunder a wave of selling pressure moments upon the release of freshstorage data and reacted by tumbling dramatically into the closingbell. Plumbing a new 5-week low at $3.91, the August contractfinished at $4.031, 22.6 cent lower for the day.

The one-day “Natural Gas Summit” held yesterday in Coloradoturned out to be quite an eye-open for industrial gas customers andsuppliers alike, according to participants.