Initiatives

As a continuation of initiatives begun during NorthWestern Corp.’s recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, local government-backed pubic power advocates in Montana and South Dakota decided late last month to join forces in ongoing efforts to structure a public-sector purchase of the company, whose principal electric and natural gas utility operations are concentrated in those two states. The company had no comment since there is no formal proposal in play, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

The policy portion of the broad energy bill containing key natural gas and electricity initiatives may have made its farewell appearance on the Senate floor for the year last week, as senators voted not to invoke cloture on an amendment that sought to piggyback energy policy provisions to unrelated legislation banning Internet access taxes. This was the latest and perhaps biggest setback in what has been a string of setbacks for the energy bill in the Senate this year.

While there are few new initiatives to boost domestic gas supply in the Bush Administration’s $2.4 trillion budget for 2005, other than the highly contentious issue of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling, Minerals Management Service (MMS) Director Johnnie Burton believes existing and proposed plans by her agency could provide a significant drilling incentive for producers.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced several new initiatives as part of its comprehensive review of the effectiveness of self-regulation in the futures industry.

While there are few new initiatives to boost domestic gas supply in the Bush Administration’s $2.4 trillion budget for 2005, other than the highly contentious issue of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling, Minerals Management Service (MMS) Director Johnnie Burton believes existing and proposed plans by her agency could provide a significant drilling incentive for producers.

Several initiatives to increase domestic natural gas and oil production are included in the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Final Notice of Sale for Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 184, scheduled for Aug. 21 in New Orleans. The Final Notice was published in Thursday’s Federal Register. Along with the incentives, MMS has included the new required provisions to protect certain endangered and threatened species. The sale will be the first one scheduled under MMS’s current five-year leasing program, which will run through 2007 (see NGI, April 19).

Several initiatives to increase domestic natural gas and oil production are included in the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Final Notice of Sale for Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 184, scheduled for Aug. 21 in New Orleans. The Final Notice was published in Thursday’s Federal Register. Along with the incentives, MMS has included the new required provisions to protect certain endangered and threatened species. The sale will be the first one scheduled under MMS’s current five-year leasing program, which will run through 2007 (see Daily GPI, April 18).

Several initiatives to increase domestic natural gas and oil production are included in the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Final Notice of Sale for Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 184, scheduled for Aug. 21 in New Orleans. The Final Notice was published in Thursday’s Federal Register. Along with the incentives, MMS has included the new required provisions to protect certain endangered and threatened species. The sale will be the first one scheduled under MMS’s current five-year leasing program, which will run through 2007 (see Daily GPI, April 18).

Key features of the House omnibus energy bill that would offer producers royalty relief and expand leasing opportunities would cost the federal government as much as $462 million over the next decade.