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The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) wants lawmakers to restore several oil and gas rules that were included in the original version of the state’s biennial budget bill, but were stripped out by the state House of Representatives.

BP plc and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. are liable for civil penalties under the Clean Water Act for their roles in the Macondo well blowout in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Encana Corp. on Wednesday checked off another item on its “to do” list after agreeing to sell two natural gas processing plants that service the Cutbank Ridge area, which straddles Alberta and British Columbia (BC), to Veresen Inc. for C$920 million.

The value of fugitive natural gas and condensate air emissions in the Barnett Shale of North Texas is about $52 million a year, according to research paid for by a clean air group, which asserts that “simple air pollution control devices” would capture this lost revenue if they were installed in the nine-county nonattainment area around Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW).

In a session marked by few energy bills making it through, the Colorado legislature called it a session earlier in May with the most significant oil/gas industry item passed being a technical bill for implementing the state plan for lessening haze (HB 1291).

Senate leaders Thursday signaled that energy will be a priority item for the chamber, but they will move more deliberatively on the issue than House Democrats, who plan to vote on an energy package Jan. 18.

Canada’s entry in the arctic natural gas pipeline race is still not out of the woods. Aboriginal consent, a key item for resource developers in the Northwest Territories, continues to elude the C$7 billion (US$5.6 billion) Mackenzie Gas Project.

As previewed earlier in the month, PG&E Corp. reported fourth quarter earnings that soared to $871 million, or $2.04/share, due to a one-time, noncash item of $684 million, or $1.60/share, tied to the utility holding company severing its relationship with its previous merchant energy unit. These results compared to consolidated net income of $37 million, or 9 cents/share, for the fourth quarter of 2003.

As previewed earlier in the month, PG&E Corp. Friday reported fourth quarter earnings that soared to $871 million, or $2.04/share, due to a one-time, noncash item of $684 million, or $1.60/share, tied to the utility holding company severing its relationship with its previous merchant energy unit. These results compared to consolidated net income of $37 million, or 9 cents/share, for the fourth quarter of 2003.