Legislative

In comments that were welcomed by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, IntercontinentalExchange Chairman and CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher Monday signaled his support for legislative action that would eliminate excessive speculation in natural gas trading markets and establish limits on the positions that traders could hold on the electronic exchange.

On the final day of their regular legislative session, Alaska lawmakers late Wednesday adopted Gov. Sarah Palin’s Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), which outlines plans for the state to seek proposals for a $30 billion-plus pipeline to bring Alaska natural gas to market. Projects that would meet state goals would be in line for tax and royalty incentives as well as a $500 million grant.

On the final day of their regular legislative session, Alaska lawmakers late last Wednesday adopted Gov. Sarah Palin’s Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), which outlines plans for the state to seek proposals for a $30 billion-plus pipeline to bring Alaska natural gas to market. Projects that would meet state goals would be in line for tax and royalty incentives as well as a $500 million grant.

Oil and natural gas issues were noticeably absent from the energy legislative agenda that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unveiled last Monday. The focus of the committee in the new Congress will be on nontraditional energy.

Congress doesn’t usually pursue new energy legislation unless the industry or its markets is in the throes of some sort of crisis. This legislative season is perhaps a little different, unless, of course, one considers the advent of Democratic control of both houses to be a crisis as well.

Congress doesn’t usually pursue new energy legislation unless the industry or its markets is in the throes of some sort of crisis. This legislative season is perhaps a little different, unless, of course, one considers Democratic control of both houses to be a crisis as well.

Oil and natural gas issues were noticeably absent from the energy legislative agenda that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unveiled Monday. The focus of the committee in the new Congress will be on nontraditional energy.

On its concluding day of this year’s legislative session, a committee in the California lower house Assembly Thursday killed a proposal to require the California Energy Commission (CEC) to review and rank four existing proposals for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal along the state’s coast. Proponents wanted the legislation to counteract the federal permitting preemption established in last year’s federal Energy Policy Act (EPAct).

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski said Friday that he would meet with legislative leaders in the next few weeks before calling a second special session for lawmakers to consider an overhaul of the state’s petroleum production tax (PPT), the way the state taxes oil and gas producers.