Message

President Bush’s focus on security in the upcoming State of the Union message will include “the security that comes from being energy-independent and having reliable supplies of American-made fuel, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said in a news briefing Thursday. “Among the domestic policy issues that the president will focus on throughout 2002 are the creation of jobs for the American people, helping the economy to grow out of the recession and recover, energy independence and the development of a comprehensive energy plan. I remind you that it again is another exciting bipartisan opportunity for the country. It passed — the president’s energy plan passed the House with a rather sizeable bipartisan vote; the President hopes the Senate will take action.” There has been no decision as to exactly what day the president’s address to Congress will be given this year, a spokesman said. It usually occurs around Jan. 20.

El Paso Natural Gas apparently got the message when its lastopen season for 1.2 Bcf/d of firm transportation capacity attractedbids for 14.4 Bcf/d. The pipeline has announced an open season totest market interest in a mainline expansion and to satisfyregulatory concerns that something needs to be done to relieve theapparent capacity constraint at the California border.

Will there be fewer holiday lights this season in Wisconsin?More woodburning fires? Wisconsin Public Service Corp., a unit ofWPS Resources Corp., warned Friday that its natural gas customersmay see a 17% hike in their energy bills this month because of thelatest increase in wholesale gas prices. WPSC said that its averageresidential customer would pay nearly 57% more overall this yearthan last, about $50 total.

Wait until next year. That was the message from U.S. House Democrats who derailed Senate-passed pipeline safety legislation (S. 2438) in the closing days of the 106th Congress. Opponents of the measure labeled it “soft” on safety.

Wait until next year. That was the message from U.S. HouseDemocrats who derailed Senate-passed pipeline safety legislation(S. 2438) in the closing days of the 106th Congress. Opponents ofthe measure labeled it “soft” on safety.

As FERC last week was delivering bad news to the Northeast-boundIndependence Pipeline and associated SupplyLink and MarketLinkprojects, the Commission staff was delivering a report to CapitolHill that concluded new pipeline capacity may be needed for theregion within the next three to five years. It didn’t specify howmuch capacity though (See related story).

Canada’s National Energy Board has sent a message toparticipants in the international natural gas trade: Stay cool andgreet predictions of Canadian supply shortages with healthyskepticism.

Canada’s National Energy Board has sent a message toparticipants in the international natural gas trade: Stay cool andgreet predictions of Canadian supply shortages with healthyskepticism.

Columbia shareholders have sent a “resounding message” to theColumbia board to sit down and negotiate a merger deal withNiSource. More than 60% (49,638,497) of CG common shares had beentendered in response to NiSource’s $68/share offer ($5.7 billion)as of last Friday and NiSource extended the deadline of the tenderoffer to Oct. 15.