Nation

On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) hired economists said exporting liquefied domestic natural gas would be a boon to the nation’s economy. But in the months ahead, the macroeconomic analysis will stir plenty of debate, long before any cargoes leave port.

As the Obama administration gets ready to start its second term, now is the time for it to reevaluate how the nation’s energy policy offices can be better structured, said a Washington, DC-based think tank Tuesday.

A continuation of the drought that began this summer in the nation’s midsection could help keep temperatures in the region low this winter, and has the potential to trigger a repeat of 2010-2011’s wellhead freeze-offs, according to a 2012-13 Winter Outlook released by Earth Networks-WeatherBug.

North American shale gas, particularly in the United States, has proven an energy cost-saving miracle for consumers who otherwise would be staring at prices three or four times higher, according to Toronto-based TD Group, the holding company for TD Bank.

Development of the nation’s shale natural gas plays may be a thankless job for producers today, but its value will pay off in the years to come, according to the CEO of Chief Oil & Gas LLC, who hopes to expand his company’s presence in the Marcellus and Utica shales.

A continuation of the drought that began this summer in the nation’s midsection could help keep temperatures in the region low this winter, and has the potential to trigger a repeat of 2010-2011’s wellhead freeze-offs, according to a 2012-13 Winter Outlook released Wednesday by Earth Networks-WeatherBug.

Development of the nation’s shale natural gas plays may be a thankless job for producers today, but its value will pay off in the years to come, according to the CEO of Chief Oil & Gas LLC, who hopes to expand his company’s presence in the Marcellus and Utica shales.

With working natural gas inventories at a record high, the Henry Hub spot price is expected to average $2.77/MMBtu this year — a 31% decrease from $4.00/MMBtu in 2011 — but it is expected to rebound to an average of $3.49/MMBtu in 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook released last week.

A Philadelphia councilman wants Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW), which is the nation’s largest municipally owned natural gas utility, to use natural gas produced in the Marcellus Shale instead of Gulf of Mexico (GOM) gas received via pipeline.