Midwest

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius last Monday signed into law a measure (HB 2263) that will create an electric transmission authority for the Midwest state. The move follows similar efforts to set up such authorities in a number of other states, including the Dakotas, and could spur further wind power development in Kansas.

The Gulf Coast, Northeast and most Midwest citygates continued to register price increases going into the weekend. But perhaps in acknowledgement of weakness in weather fundamentals that had been in effect for several days, nearly all Midcontinent and western points were down Friday.

The cash market found enough cold weather remaining in the Midwest and Northeast and parts of the West to regain its footing and register generally small gains at a majority of points Tuesday. The return of industrial load after a holiday weekend hiatus also helped fuel the mini-rally.

With arctic cold finally blanketing most of the Midwest and Northeast, the question now becomes whether this cold blast from Canada will be too little and too late to stem the fall of natural gas futures prices.

A group of senators and House members from the Northeast and Midwest have called on Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to restore an interagency working group on natural gas within 60 days.

A group of senators and House members from the Northeast and Midwest have called on Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to restore an interagency working group on natural gas within 60 days.

The weather picture is still decidedly bearish in the Midwest and Northeast market areas, but the cash market was able to cobble together a substantial rebound at all points from last week’s five-day losing streak Monday. A fresh surge of activity on the Atlantic tropical storm front and a trend of gradually rising temperatures in the South starting Tuesday provided the main support for higher numbers.

As the new year has brought steep mercury drops in many areas of the U.S., Joe Bastardi, senior expert meteorologist for AccuWeather.com, said it is almost certain that for many people it’s going to be the coldest 20-day period experienced since the winter of 1996.

It was mild, but a rally nonetheless. With a new spate of cold weather approaching the Midwest and Northeast, prices ranged from flat to up about 15 cents Tuesday. Not counting the Southwest basins, the West saw most of the flat to barely higher or lower numbers.