Lines

ONEOK Partners LP said Wednesday that Fort Union Gas Gathering LLC is doubling its existing gathering pipeline capacity by adding 148 miles of new gathering lines and 649 MMcf/d of additional capacity. A ONEOK Partners’ subsidiary, Crestone Powder River LLC, has a 37.04% interest in Fort Union Gas Gathering.

In an update Friday of supply availability on its 500 and 800 Lines, Tennessee said current shut-in production as a result of damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita totals about 350,000 Dth/d. About 100,000 Dth/d is offline due to pipeline damage and 250,000 Dth/d is shut in due to third-party damage, Tennessee said. See the bulletin board for an itemized list of ongoing recovery projects and Tennessee’s projections for when they will be completed.

FERC should not only refashion its test for when to assert jurisdiction over offshore natural gas gathering lines to protect against monopoly abuse, but it should “take actions [in advance] that ensure that the need to subsequently reassert jurisdiction is no longer required or, at least, rarely occurs,” the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA) said this week.

Separating the country along mostly North/South lines, WSI Corp. said in its latest outlook that it expects the December-through-February period to average cooler-than-normal across the northern tier of states and along the Pacific Coast with warmer-than-normal temperatures in most southern areas.

With the November contract’s expiration out of the way, December natural gas spent its first regular session as front month exploring support lines. After notching a low of $12.88, December went on to settle at $13.055, down 62.9 cents on the day and 11.2 cents lower than the contract’s previous Friday close. November natural gas expired Thursday at $13.832.

Enogex Inc., a subsidiary of OGE Energy, has agreed to sell its 75% interest in the NOARK Pipeline System LP., and its Ozark Gas Transmission and Ozark Gas Gathering lines to Atlas Pipeline Partners LP., a company which started out in Appalachia, and is rapidly expanding into new Midcontinent operations.

With power off, land lines down and cellular phone towers demolished, communication continued to be a major problem for oil and natural gas companies trying to assess damage onshore and offshore from Hurricane Katrina on Wednesday.

About seven lines of text added by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) to the recently enacted Transportation Equity Act erects a major road block in front of the proposed Weaver’s Cove LNG import terminal in Fall River, MA. The new law makes it illegal for the Brightman Street Bridge, connecting Fall River and Somerset, MA, to be demolished to allow LNG cargo traffic up the Taunton River to the terminal.

Seven lines of text added by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) to the Transportation Authorization Bill, which President Bush is expected to sign on Wednesday, could spell doom for the proposed Weaver’s Cove LNG import terminal in Fall River, MA.