Might

Assuming the can handle any antitrust issues that might come up, Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) and El Paso Corp. are heading toward a deal that would create a midstream and pipeline behemoth with thousands of miles of pipelines touching supply basins all over North America.

Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) has launched a campaign to prevent Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania’s state parks. The campaign was unveiled by John H. Quigley, a special adviser to PennFuture and former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

Following the trend of the last few years, people in the northern and eastern United States might need to don their winter jackets a little earlier than normal if Weather Services International’s (WSI) fall forecast comes to fruition. The Andover, MA-based weather forecaster also said it expects six more named storms to form in the Atlantic Ocean this year.

Following the trend of the last few years, people in the northern and eastern United States might need to don their winter jackets a little earlier than normal if Weather Services International’s (WSI) fall forecast comes to fruition.

It wasn’t as bad as it might have been. That was the most optimistic assessment of Hurricane Irene’s (gradually being downgraded) weekend cruise along the Atlantic Seaboard. Most points continued to weaken a bit Monday as the impact of lost power generation load along the East Coast was being felt, but residual pockets of high heat resulted in quite a few flat to higher numbers.

After ending a previous Overage Alert Day (OAD) Friday but saying a new one might become necessary soon, Florida Gas Transmission wasted little time before implementing a new OAD for market-area customers Saturday. The tolerance for negative daily imbalances was initially set at 20% that day but was increased to 25% Sunday and Monday.

Florida Gas Transmission ended Friday an Overage Alert Day (OAD) that had been in effect for the previous three days but warned that another OAD might become necessary soon.

Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. is reportedly looking to add more American shale gas investments to its energy portfolio and is shopping for new opportunities in shale oil, but it might wait to make a move on shale gas until natural gas prices are higher.

NGI’s Unconventional Rig Count edged up ever so slightly for the week ending July 22, rising to 987 rigs from 984 the previous week. Despite the pedestrian weekly advance, the current unconventional rig count remains a full 3% higher than the 961 rigs that were at work one month ago.