Midst

In the midst of rising complaints from local government officials about the level of its information sharing in the wake of the Sept. 9 San Bruno transmission pipeline explosion, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) Monday announced it was making additional information accessible to customers via the Internet. In the southern half of the state, Sempra Energy’s two gas utilities are taking similar steps.

In the midst of a regional trucking transportation hub in the Inland Empire 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, a regional government association is leveraging state and federal grants totaling nearly $20 million with a major national trucking company, Ryder System Inc., to put hundreds of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) rigs on the road.

While Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has proven to be a “solid, defensive” investment play in the midst of national and global economic troubles, California’s deep budget crisis raises new challenges, according to PG&E’s CEO Peter Darbee.

While Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has proven to be a “solid, defensive” investment play in the midst of national and global economic troubles, California’s deep budget crisis raises new challenges, according to PG&E’s CEO Peter Darbee.

For those looking for even a small piece of good news in the midst of economic decline, the small profit posted by Chevron Corp. in the final period of 2008 was some relief. Like ExxonMobil Corp. (see related story), Chevron’s natural gas and oil volumes fell because of the continuing impact of hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

In the midst of a $42 billion budget deficit, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has revived a proposal to consolidate the state’s major energy agencies into one energy department as an efficiency measure. A similar proposal was kicked around four years ago only to be shot down by lawmakers.

In the midst of a $42 billion budget deficit, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has revived a proposal to consolidate the state’s major energy agencies into one energy department as a cost-saving measure. A similar proposal was kicked around four years ago only to be shot down by lawmakers.

In the midst of a proposed merger with a consortium of private equity firms in which rates were deemed unaffected, Bellevue, WA-based Puget Sound Energy (PSE) last Monday filed a $231.3 million general rate case with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. The primary reason cited for the filing was large infrastructure investments by PSE this year and last year that it needs to recover in future retail natural gas and electric utility rates.

In the midst of untold human, property and ecological devastation in the week-long Southern California inferno, energy infrastructure and utility crews were stretched to the maximum last week. For the energy sector in the statem the brunt of the high winds and irrepressible flames was absorbed by the electricity infrastructure. Natural gas operations were virtually unscathed.