Industrial

Coal-to-gas switching, increased power generation use, a slight uptick in industrial demand and a few gas field shut ins have helped a bit to reduce U.S. gas storage levels, but unless weekly storage injections remain below 2 Bcf/d through the rest of the injection season, some energy analysts think maximum levels will be reached by mid September.

The effects of low natural gas prices are spreading to marine transportation and other potential industrial expansion in the Pacific Northwest, according to officials in the Oregon-based Northwest Gas Association (NWGA) and local media reports.

Shale development could realistically contribute a 3% annual increase in jobs in Pennsylvania through the remainder of the decade, according to research from Wells Fargo Securities LLC.

Ohio is a “long shot” for a world class ethane cracker planned for Appalachia, but the state would still benefit if the facility lands anywhere in the region, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is looking for ways to get the natural gas industry to use polluted discharge from old mines.

A Rockies producer had a pithy description of the current gas market: “It stinks!” Industrial firms that use gas as a feedstock and almost everyone enjoying lower gas bills might disagree, but it’s likely that many others in the gas industry also would prefer a sweeter-smelling market.

Trends toward milder temperatures prompted price declines at a large majority of points Friday. The bearish weekend impact of reduced industrial load was heightened by the Christmas holiday being taken off Monday.

Atlanta-based AGL Resources and Naperville, IL-based Nicor Inc. received approval of their merger from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), the final regulatory nod needed to create a natural gas distribution behemoth operating in seven states.

Construction of industrial infrastructure and production of liquid hydrocarbon resources near Point Thomson, AK, by ExxonMobil Corp. and affiliate PTE Pipeline LLC is one step closer with the release of a draft environmental impact study (DEIS) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.