Means

California’s natural gas industry probably shouldn’t expect anyflowers in sympathy anytime soon. The California Cut FlowerCommission said last week that some of the state’s growers havebegun laying off workers and even sacrificing their Valentine’s Daycrops because they can’t afford to heat their greenhouses.

Retiring House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer(R-TX) last week would neither confirm nor deny whether he wouldaccept the post of Energy Secretary in a Republican administration,if Texas Gov. George W. Bush ultimately is declared the nextpresident.

Looking ahead to summer within the PJM Power Pool meansanticipating power shortages and price spikes. With virtually nonew generation coming on line for this summer, Pennsylvania publicinterest group PennFuture says it’s time to create a demand sidemarket for electricity and give consumers an incentive to conserve.

Federal legislation is the only means to protect consumers forthe exercise of market power by dominant generators and utilitiesin competitive electricity markets, according to a U.S. Departmentof Energy report. The report says companies owning abundantgeneration in a local market may face few competitors afterrestructuring, allowing them to exercise market power and chargehigher prices.

Fresh news means everything in commodities trading and naturalgas traders had their choice of bearish factors to point toyesterday. The one-two combo of the storage surplus and coolerweather put sellers in the driver’s seat once again, and theyreacted swiftly Wednesday evening by pushing the market lower inthe after hours Access trading session. The July contract Thursday,tumbled 10.5 cents to finish at $2.355 in heavy trading.

Warm winter weather normally means trouble for the gas industry,but for Northern Border Pipeline, which is attempting to completeconstruction of a major expansion/extension project, it has been ablessing. After a month and a half delay because summer rains setback construction, the pipeline company is expecting to have itsproject in service some time between Thursday, Dec. 17, and Sunday,Dec. 20, with the entire 700 MMcf/d capacity being fully utilized”almost immediately,” said Robert Hill, vice president of marketingand business development for the pipeline company.

Warm winter weather normally means trouble for the gas industry,but for Northern Border, which is attempting to completeconstruction of a major pipeline expansion/extension project, ithas been a blessing. After a month and a half delay because summerrains set back construction, the pipeline company is expecting tohave its project in service some time between Thursday, Dec. 17,and Sunday, Dec. 20, with the entire 700 MMcf/d capacity beingfully utilized “almost immediately,” said Robert Hill, vicepresident of marketing and business development for the pipeline.

Usually when sources refer to “following the screen,” it meansfutures trading influencing cash prices up or down in the samedirection. Thursday it was a case of cash following the screennowhere. Lack of movement in Nymex’s September contract wasreplicated by general flatness for physical gas.