Mexico

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. last week agreed to give up some of its ownership in the prospective Lucius development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in exchange for $556 million to help fund the project to first production in late 2014.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. on Monday agreed to give up some of its ownership in the prospective Lucius development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in exchange for $556 million to help fund the project to first production in late 2014.

The recent emergence of Tropical Storm Debby in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), the unusually early start of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season and an increase in North Atlantic water temperatures prompted Weather Services International (WSI) to increase the number of tropical storms in its forecast for this year.

Offshore oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), which had been slammed by shut-ins and personnel evacuations as Tropical Storm Debby loomed last weekend, is nearly back to normal, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

Major leaseholders in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), which had evacuated personnel over the weekend as Tropical Storm Debby gained strength, were preparing to redeploy workers Monday as the storm became almost stationary over the northeastern GOM with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

The first three weeks of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season have been quiet, but a low-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) at the end of the week was threatening to make some noise that would be heard by energy interests.

FERC Thursday approved the requests of several companies to abandon by sale all or virtually all of their pipeline facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as some onshore facilities.

Five conservation groups on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the Department of Interior’s plans to hold a Central Gulf of Mexico (GOM) lease sale in New Orleans on Wednesday, claiming the Obama administration has failed to address the risks to wildlife and the environment following the Macondo deepwater well blowout two years ago.

The composition of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) is changing with the election of one new member in the recent state primary and the prospect for a second new regulator following the general election in November. Current District 1 Commissioner Jason Marks is term-limited out this year. Bernalillo County Assessor Karen Montoya won a Democratic primary and will face Republican candidate Christopher Ocksrider in November for the seat. In the meantime, Valerie Espinoza, a county clerk in Santa Fe, gained sufficient votes for the District 3 seat to allow her to bypass a runoff and head straight to the PRC, replacing Douglas Howe. Howe was appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez on an interim basis to fill a vacancy created when Jerome Block resigned last year after pleading guilty to felony charges involving embezzlement of public funds.