Missouri

Nexen topped the rankings of gas purchasers/marketers in a new customer satisfaction survey based on 300 interviews with gas producers by Missouri-based Mastiogale. Other top buyers that exceeded the industry benchmark were BP, ConocoPhillips, Shell Energy Trading and Corpus Christi-based marketer Shoreline Gas.

After receiving 500 complaints from utility customers about Laclede Gas Co.’s estimated billing practices, the staff of the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) filed a complaint against the company, alleging violations of commission rules and recommending penalties and changes to Laclede’s billing methods.

To cover the effect of higher natural gas costs, the Missouri Public Service Commission (MPSC) has approved rate increases for Southern System and Northern System natural gas customers of Aquila Networks-MPS effective Monday (July 18). The Southern affiliate services 32,000 gas customers, while the Northern affiliate serves 11,200 across the state.

Highway relocation work on Texas Eastern between Egypt Station in Arkansas and Fagus Station on the Arkansas-Missouri border, previously set for May 4-5, has been delayed due to high water in the area. The work is now scheduled for May 27-28. As a result, Texas Eastern will begin previously posted cleaning pig runs on May 4 that were originally scheduled to start on May 6, and they will continue on a daily basis through May 8. During these cleaning runs, restrictions may be required in the East Texas and/or M-1 24-inch zones.

The Missouri Public Service Commission has approved a proposal by Laclede Gas Co. to reorganize its corporate structure to form a holding company known as The Laclede Group, Inc. Laclede’s shareholders approved the change in January. It should be operational by October. “The holding company structure gives us the flexibility to grow our enterprise while maintaining our high level of safe and reliable service to our natural gas customers,” said CEO Douglas H. Yaeger. Under the new holding company structure, Laclede Gas would become a wholly owned subsidiary of The Laclede Group, Inc., but would continue to operate as a regulated natural gas distribution utility. Existing corporate subsidiaries of Laclede Gas — Laclede Energy Resources, Laclede Venture, Laclede Development, Laclede Investment, Laclede Gas Family Services and Laclede Pipeline — would become subsidiaries of The Laclede Group Inc. and would remain unregulated.

Laclede Gas Co. has asked for regulatory approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission to initiate a “weather clause” that it says would protect its 633,000 natural gas customers from weather-related fluctuations in their bills and would stabilize the company’s annual revenues.