Investigating

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluid spill at a natural gas well pad operated by ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Corp.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has added to its roster of natural gas over-the-counter contracts it is investigating to determine if they perform a significant price-discovery function and qualify for CFTC restrictions.

Columbia Gas said it was investigating a leak on Line AM-130 located near the Middle Fork stream crossing. “Due to this emergency, firm receipts will have to be shut in” starting Thursday morning, the pipeline said, estimating that the outage will last two to seven days. The outage is near the Poca River in the vicinity of Charleston, WV. All production behind Walgrove and north of the Poca River will be shut in, affecting three firm production meters, Columbia said.

The British Columbia branch of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is investigating an Oct. 11 explosion on an EnCana natural gas pipeline 50 kilometers east of Dawson Creek near the British Columbia border with Alberta. Sabotage is suspected, the authorities said.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is investigating four large waste releases from natural gas and oil reserve pits near Rifle, CO, including two that apparently went unreported for two months.

Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) last week stepped down from key committee posts amid the fallout from his arrest by an undercover police detective investigating lewd conduct in a men’s restroom at the Minneapolis Airport. The embattled lawmaker was said to be on the verge of resigning from the Senate Friday, the New York Times reported.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating the Nicor Gas distribution system in Park Ridge, IL, for PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl)-contaminated liquids, the agency said Monday.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating insider trading that allegedly took place just prior to the announcement last week of the $45 billion leveraged buyout of TXU Corp. Acting on an SEC plea Friday, a Chicago District Court judge issued summons for “unknown purchasers,” who the SEC claimed benefited from a more than 13% run-up in TXU’s common stock on Feb. 26 when the buyout bid was announced.

A BP plc spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed a report in The Wall Street Journal indicating federal investigators are investigating whether the London-based oil major manipulated crude oil and unleaded gasoline markets in 2002, 2003 and 2004. BP already is facing allegations by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that it manipulated the U.S. propane market in 2004 (see Daily GPI, June 29).