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Storage Operator Trying to Duck Market Risk, FERC Told

Storage Operator Trying to Duck Market Risk, FERC Told

A Gulf Coast natural gas storage operator’s application to abandon capacity solely due to weak market conditions is contrary to the public interest, would set a dangerous precedent if granted, and is not supported by FERC policy, the Commission was told in a Tuesday filing.

January 8, 2014
EIA Reports Renewed Production Strength in October

EIA Reports Renewed Production Strength in October

U.S. natural gas production, which had seen an uncharacteristic stumble in September, recovered in October, with the shale-rich “Other States” category once again helping to push the national total higher, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production Report.

January 8, 2014
Eastern Prices Plunge as Weather Outlook Moderates; Futures Drift Lower

Eastern Prices Plunge as Weather Outlook Moderates; Futures Drift Lower

Northeastern physical natural gas prices for gas to be delivered on Wednesday began their return to Earth’s orbit from Monday’s all-time highs as the record cold temperatures populating much of the country Tuesday were expected to subside.

January 7, 2014

CA Regulators’ 2014 Focus on Pipe Safety, Replacing Nuke Power

California regulators start the new year with a focus on two areas: gas pipeline safety issues continuing since the San Bruno transmission line failure and explosion three years ago (see Daily GPI, Sept. 13, 2010), and how to deal with the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in Southern California (see Daily GPI, June 10, 2013).

January 6, 2014
U.S. E&P Financial Chiefs More Optimistic about 2014

U.S. E&P Financial Chiefs More Optimistic about 2014

U.S. energy financial chiefs are feeling more optimistic than they did a year ago about the domestic economy and what’s ahead for the oil and natural gas sector in 2014, BDO USA LLP reported Monday.

January 6, 2014

XTO Will Face Charges for 2010 Pennsylvania Spill

A district court judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. will face criminal charges, finding that there is enough evidence for a full trial in a closely watched case to prosecute the company for several felonies.

January 6, 2014

Polar Vortex Sends Northeast Next-Day Gas Prices $40-$60 Higher

Arctic temperatures sweeping much of the country in a Polar Vortex strained pipeline throughputs and pushed natural gas spot prices to record highs in the Northeast. Transco Zone 6 non-NY next-day prices shot higher by $59.76 to average $70.66/MMBtu, while Transco Zone 5 increased by $61.27 to average $72.43/MMBtu, according to NGI’s Daily Gas Price Index.

January 6, 2014

North Dakota High Court Royalty Ruling Payoff Still Unknown

The amount of North Dakota’s added state revenues from a post-Christmas state Supreme Court ruling is still unknown and will take some time to resolve, according to Lance Gaebe, commissioner of the Department of Trust Lands.

January 6, 2014

Pennant Midstream Plant Will Soon Accept Utica Wet Gas

Pennant Midstream LLC said Monday that its $375 million Hickory Bend Processing Plant and wet-gas gathering system is fully operational, with company officials expecting the plant to begin accepting natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) by the end of the first quarter.

January 6, 2014

Industry Briefs

UGI Corp. subsidiary UGI Energy Services LLC has placed its newly-constructed 28-mile gathering pipeline and compressor station into full service. The Auburn pipeline extension provides gas supplies to local consumers in Pennsylvania, while also providing access to interstate markets for Marcellus Shale producers. The $160 million, 20-inch pipeline will initially deliver 200 MMcf/d of locally produced natural gas through UGI Energy’s Manning compressor station in Wyoming County, PA. to UGI Penn Natural Gas Inc., one of that company’s utilities and the interstate pipeline Transcontinental.

January 6, 2014