Joining

Joining Canada’s EnCana Corp. in carefully monitoring capital expenditures (capex) and exploration in the coming year are two more top independents headquartered in Calgary: Nexen Inc. and Petro-Canada Inc., which this week detailed their spending programs.

Joining other energy companies’ attempts to reassure investors, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Tuesday said it has completed the first phase of its planned $5 billion share buyback program and it also has retired some of its debt a year ahead of schedule.

British Columbia (BC) is joining the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California to collaborate on energy and climate issues that affect the entire Pacific Coast region under an agreement announced at the annual meeting of the Western Governors’ Association.

Joining its sister Sempra Energy utility in San Diego, Los Angeles-based Southern California Gas Co.(SoCalGas) reached out to the low-income segment of its nearly 6 million-meter customer base Wednesday to urge customers who qualify to apply for a 20% discount on future monthly retail utility bills.

With a trio of solid results from unconventional natural gas plays in Cutbank Ridge, Jonah and East Texas — and coalbed methane (CBM) joining in — EnCana Corp. delivered a chorus of good news for both its earnings and production in the final three months of 2007.

Dallas-based EXCO Resources Inc., which moved to the public arena in February, is joining the move by other exploration and production (E&P) companies to form a master limited partnership (MLP). EXCO’s MLP would own a “substantial” portion of mature producing oil and natural gas properties in the Appalachian, East Texas, North Louisiana, Midcontinent and Permian Basin areas.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co. is joining a growing list of exploration and production (E&P) companies that are moving some of their mature oil and natural gas assets into master limited partnerships (MLP). The Dallas-based producer last week announced that it will spin off two MLPs, one to hold its Spraberry assets in West Texas, the other to hold its Raton Basin properties in southern Colorado.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co. is joining a growing list of exploration and production (E&P) companies that are taking some of their mature oil and natural gas assets and forming master limited partnerships (MLP). The Dallas-based producer on Monday announced that it will spin off two MLPs, one to hold its Spraberry assets in West Texas, the other to hold its Raton Basin properties in southern Colorado.

Joining the chorus of other forecasters who have recently warned of a “very active” 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, forecasting network WeatherBug said it is predicting 13 to 15 named storms in the Atlantic, seven to nine of which are expected to develop into hurricanes. Of those hurricanes, three are forecast to become major hurricanes with winds in excess of 111 mph.