Moving

The recent arrival of a cold front from Canada will keep Northeast temperatures moving lower Friday, and southern mercury levels will continue to inch downward at many locations as well. Those factors, along with further impetus from the previous day’s nosedive of 14.6 cents by August futures based largely on expectations of a bearish storage report (which were realized in spades), resulted in cash market softness across the board Thursday.

Competition for labor, coupled with rising costs for steel and consumables, should keep operating costs for natural gas and oil projects moving higher in 2011, according to new research by industry consultant IHS.

Competition for labor, coupled with rising costs for steel and consumables, should keep operating costs for natural gas and oil projects moving higher in 2011, according to new research by industry consultant IHS.

Moving their $8 billion stock-for-stock merger deal another step closer to the finish line, Exelon Corp. and Constellation Energy late last week filed an application for approval by FERC, which contained a list of divestitures aimed at eliminating any market power concerns held by regulators.

Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD) earned record profits in the first quarter as rig counts grew in liquids-rich shales and low natural gas prices spurred petrochemical demand. The company continues to see opportunities “to serve our customers, both producers and consumers,” COO Jim Teague said during a conference call Tuesday.

A Duke University study released Monday found high levels of leaked methane in well water collected near shale gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) sites in the Marcellus Shale play. However, Duke researchers said there was no evidence that fracking fluids contaminated the water wells.

Noble Energy Inc. CEO Chuck Davidson said he was “really pleased” with the company’s growth in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin, and said Noble was moving forward with deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) after receiving the industry’s first permit to resume post-moratorium drilling there (see NGI, March 7).

Noble Energy Inc. CEO Chuck Davidson said he was “really pleased” with the company’s growth in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin, and said Noble was moving forward with deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) after receiving the industry’s first permit to resume post-moratorium drilling there (see Daily GPI, March 1).

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is moving to 100% use of compressed natural gas (CNG) for its bus fleet and has awarded a $40 million contract to California-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to complete the transition.