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Dominion Resources Inc. is considering a shake up of its wide-ranging business operations that may include a spin-off or sale of its profitable exploration and production (E&P) business and some nonstrategic assets next year. The move, said CEO Tom Farrell last week, will allow the company to refocus on its utility operations.

Energy Transfer Partners LP said the board of its general partner has approved a $360 million expansion project that will include the addition of 157 miles of 36-inch diameter pipeline and 92,700 horsepower of compression to its proposed 42-inch diameter pipeline system in East and North Texas. The 950 MMcf/d expansion will bring the system’s capacity to 2.3 Bcf/d and will bring the total construction cost of the pipeline system to $895 million. The latest expansion is expected to be in service in August 2007.

A bipartisan coalition of 115 lawmakers led by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) has sent a letter to a House appropriations subcommittee urging it to once again include the congressional moratorium on drilling in much of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the fiscal 2007 spending bill for the Interior Department and related agencies.

Enogex Gas Gathering LLC has agreed to sell its natural gas gathering assets in Kinta, OK, to a subsidiary of Hiland Partners LP for $93 million. The assets include 568 miles of gas gathering pipeline and 23 compressor units with current volumes of approximately 145 MMcf/d, all in eastern Oklahoma. “The sale of these assets comes after careful analysis and is part of our repositioning and growth strategy,” said Danny Harris, COO of parent company Enogex Inc. “We expect this action to help us improve our long-term financial performance and position us to expand into other geographic areas of operation.” The transaction is expected to provide an after-tax book gain of $34 million and is currently scheduled to close by the end of April. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory reviews.

Rather than take mandatory action, Texas regulators on Wednesday accepted voluntary proposals by a number of state utilities pledging not to include post-Hurricane Katrina natural gas price spikes in their electric rates.

The American Public Gas Association (APGA) on Wednesday called on Congress to include language in budget reconciliation legislation that would allow coastal states to open up their currently closed shores to oil and natural gas production.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) issued a final notice of Western Gulf Lease Sale 196 scheduled for Aug. 17. Sale 196 will include 3,762 unleased blocks covering 20.3 million acres offshore Texas and Louisiana and could result in the production of 136-262 million bbl of oil and 0.81-1.44 Tcf of natural gas. The blocks are located five to 357 kilometers offshore in water depths ranging from eight to 3,100 meters. MMS has increased base rental rates from $5.00 to $6.25 per acre for blocks in water depths of less than 200 meters and from $7.50 to $9.50 per acre for blocks in water depths of 200 meters or deeper, reflecting inflationary adjustments. MMS also warned bidders that an application from Beacon Port LLC for the licensing of a deepwater LNG port in the Western Gulf of Mexico has been received by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration. The proposed LNG facility will affect certain blocks in the High Island and West Cameron Areas.

Senate leaders on Friday named 14 conferees to the upcoming House-Senate conference on the omnibus energy bill (HR 6). The House has yet to appoint conferees.

ANR Pipeline is holding an open season to test market interest in a Wisconsin/Illinois 2007 Expansion Project, which could include expansion of its mainline and laterals in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois.