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ScottishPower and PacifiCorp jointly announced that their Dec.7, 1998 merger plan gained a large boost Tuesday when the FederalTrade Commission (FTC) waived the 30-day waiting period under theHart-Scott-Rodino antitrust law.

Allowing interstate gas pipelines to sell capacity atmarket-based rates, without first requiring a showing of acompetitive market or mitigation measures, could set the stage formore allegedly “anticompetitive” contract arrangements betweenpipes and marketers – similar to the one between Dynegy Marketingand Trade and El Paso Natural Gas, warned California regulators.

Large Ohio wholesale natural gas provider Beldenergy haslicensed Prosper NRG Marketing’s “Direct to Market” service toprovide marketers targeting Columbus, OH, with the capability ofgiving prospective customers “Instant Savings Analysis.”

PennzEnergy, the exploration and production company spawn of therestructuring of Pennzoil and Quaker State, could be an attractivetakeover target for a large independent producer or integratedenergy company, according to an analyst who follows the company.

“That’s what 20 inches of snow in Chicago will do for you,” aHouston-based producer said Monday in reference to the severeholiday weekend blizzard in the Midwest that propelled cash pricesupward by 20 cents or more at many points. What was being calledthe region’s worst winter storm in more than three decades leftfreezing temperatures across the eastern three-fourths of thenation and very strong heating load.

An ambitious plan to prepay for large volumes of gas under amulti-year contract is under consideration by the California agencyresponsible for procuring natural gas for state facilities.Staffers of Natural Gas Services, a unit of the state’s Departmentof General Services, would like to hear ideas about implementingsuch a program from potential suppliers.

Western Gas Resources’ production subsidiary Lance Oil &amp Gasis offering for sale a working interest in the Jonah Field, a largebasin-centered gas accumulation in the northwest portion of theGreen River Basin in southwest Wyoming. Western intends to retainall of its gathering and processing rights in the area following asale.

A Kern River official said a large number of pipeline shippersexpressed interest in extending or signing new firm transportationagreements under the pipeline’s proposed term differentiated rateproposal, a rate discounting plan announced in late October. Thepipeline company received requests from nine new shippers, mostlymarketers, for 900 MMcf/d of firm capacity on its mainline underthe new rate design during a recent open season. In addition, eightout of its 11 existing shippers expressed interest in holding on to600 MMcf/d under new discounted rates.

With San Juan Basin-Southern California border (bidweek) basisaveraging double what it was last year through November, 36cents/MMBtu compared with 18 cents, and rising, Dynegy’s $70million deal for 1.3 Bcf/d of El Paso Natural Gas’ firm pipelinecapacity is looking better all the time for the company, DynegyPresident Stephen Bergstrom said in an interview with NGI.