The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) cut rates for the three major investor-owned natural gas utilities in the state, responding to the continuing low wholesale prices for gas. The new rates take effect Thursday. Portland, OR-based NW Natural, which separately received a small general rate hike, its first in 10 years (see Daily GPI, Oct. 31), will cut its rates by 6.9%, or about $4.36/month for a typical residential customer. Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities customers will see rates drop 7.7%, or on average about $4.78/month for residential customers. MDU Resources Group’s Kennewick, WA-based Cascade Natural Gas Corp. rates were cut 17.3%, or a decrease on average of $9.79/month for a residential customer. A purchased gas adjustment allows the PUC to have the gas utilities adjust their rates up or down annually to reflect changes in the average price of gas supplies the utilities purchase on the interstate market.
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Santos Brings Australia’s First Shale Gas Well Online
Santos turned on Australia’s first commercial shale gas production last Friday at the company’s Moomba-191 well in the Cooper Basin.
Eastern Grid Operators to Study Impacts of NatGas Expansion
Two major electricity grid operators, which together coordinate the movement of wholesale electricity in 14 of the nation’s most populated states and the District of Columbia, have agreed to a long-term strategy that includes a call for development of a shared understanding of regional natural gas delivery constraints on power generation.
DOE Delays Decision on Sierra Club’s Bid to Block Sabine Pass LNG Permit
The Department of Energy (DOE) has deferred a decision on Sierra Club’s request to block a major permit for Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass project to liquefy and export domestic gas from Louisiana.
INGAA Supports Voluntary System for Dealing with Cyber Threats
A major interstate natural gas pipeline association believes that an existing voluntary system with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for dealing with cyber attacks “is the way to go,” a spokeswoman said.
Study: Lease Bonuses Up in Many States, Hit Jackpot in Ohio
Bonus payments to landowners with oil and natural gas leases climbed to new highs during the third quarter, but they skyrocketed in Ohio’s Utica Shale, according to a survey by Farmers National Co. (FNC), a real estate management firm that also tracks data for landowners.
New York Rules Delay Frustrates Oil, Gas Operators
If New York regulators don’t meet a Nov. 29 deadline to finalize the rulemaking process for natural gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing (fracking), it may force more producers and service companies to move out of state, a spokesman for the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York (IOGA-NY) said Monday.
Court Tosses Out CFTC Position Limit Rule
In a major victory for market speculators, a federal court in Washington, DC, late Friday tossed out the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s controversial final rule aimed at limiting speculative trading in the swaps market.
Court Tosses Out CFTC Position Limit Rule
In a major victory for market speculators, a federal court in Washington, DC, Friday tossed out the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s controversial final rule aimed at limiting speculative trading in the swaps market.
NRDC Offers to Assist Communities in Blocking Fracking
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a major environmental group, Wednesday launched a project that would offer communities and towns a helping hand in blocking hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The effort would extend to five states, but the focus would be on Pennsylvania and Ohio, where fracking is most pervasive.
