Model

Using Wyoming’s approach as a model, a rarely convened panel in Idaho Tuesday adopted some temporary rules for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for natural gas. The state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, consisting of Idaho’s five statewide elected officials, including its governor, unanimously took its action that was prompted by natural gas drilling in a single county, Payette.

With a revamped business model designed to focus on natural gas processing, Oneok Inc. officially exited the power business Friday with the sale of its Spring Creek plant in Logan County, OK to Westar Energy Inc. for $53 million. The transaction will result in a 3Q loss in discontinued operations, but improved gas processing spreads and higher commodity prices will push Oneok’s quarterly income and earnings well ahead of forecasts, the company said Friday.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is undertaking an initiative to develop sample legislation that would encourage regional collaboration among state utility commissions on issues tied to the siting of transmission lines, Matthew Brown, energy program director at the NCSL, said.

Once hailed as a national model for helping industry voluntarily lower air emissions, the Southern California-based RECLAIM emission credits program crashed last Wednesday with the arrest on criminal fraud charges of one of its founders. A number of major western energy companies are listed as victims of what authorities call a basic $80 million Ponzi scheme. One of the victims, San Jose, CA-based Calpine Corp., told NGI on Thursday that it has settled with the emissions credit exchange for an undisclosed amount.

Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) last week touted its business model and record 2002 earnings, which beat consensus Wall Street estimates. However, the company reported a 15% drop (10 cents/share) in fourth quarter net income due to special charges primarily related to a reduction in the carrying value of its power generation assets. Full-year 2002 KMI net income was up 35% to $302.7 million or $2.45/share.

Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) Wednesday touted its business model and record 2002 earnings, which beat consensus Wall Street estimates. However, the company reported a 15% drop (10 cents/share) in fourth quarter net income due to special charges primarily related to a reduction in the carrying value of its power generation assets. Full-year 2002 KMI net income was up 35% to $302.7 million or $2.45/share.

Pennsylvania faces the very real threat of being dethroned as the nation’s leading model for electricity choice because skyrocketing wholesale power prices are pushing state customers to abandon electric choice in favor of default providers, according to the Center for the Advancement of Energy Markets. As Pennsylvania stumbles on the road to electric deregulation, Texas, Maine and New York are all making impressive strides in promoting sustainable competition among electricity providers, the center said.

The transition to an online business model has led to cost reductions, improved efficiency and tremendous growth for Enron, CEO Ken Lay said last week during a web-cast conference on e-commerce sponsored by Houston-based FlashFind Corp. and the Independent Natural Gas Association of America.

The transition to an online business model has led to cost reductions, improved efficiency and tremendous growth for Enron, CEO Ken Lay said earlier this week during a web-cast conference on e-commerce sponsored by Houston-based FlashFind Corp. and the Independent Natural Gas Association of America.