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Senate confirmation of Energy Secretary nominee Samuel Bodman, which appeared to be on track to occur Wednesday, has been pushed back to next Monday, a press aide for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said.

FERC last Tuesday issued an order accepting a global settlement reached between Duke Energy, several California parties and Commission staff resolving matters stemming from the 2000-2001 California energy crisis as they relate to Duke.

Even if oilfield prices go up by 15-20 % next year, as Raymond James expects to occur, the negative ramifications on exploration and production returns will be surprisingly small, according to Raymond James analyst J. Marshall Adkins.

North American natural gas drilling is up 30% from the beginning of the year and is on course to reach its 2001 peak by the fourth quarter, Merrill Lynch said in a new report on the oilfield service sector. Canadian drilling activity, which often is a good indicator of upstream spending going forward, is heading for a near record level this year.

North American natural gas drilling is up 30% from the beginning of the year and is on course to reach its 2001 peak by the fourth quarter, Merrill Lynch said in a new report on the oilfield service sector. Canadian drilling activity, which often is a good indicator of upstream spending going forward, is heading for a near record level this year.

Constraints on supplies of natural gas, crude oil and coal are unlikely to occur worldwide before 2025, but in the next 20 years, the energy industry will be challenged to design sustainable technology that can replace depleted fossil fuels, the chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group told a Houston audience.

Constraints on supplies of natural gas, crude oil and coal are unlikely to occur worldwide before 2025, but in the next 20 years, the energy industry will be challenged to design sustainable technology that can replace depleted fossil fuels, the chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group told a Houston audience.

Reflecting an expectation that planned asset sales will occur, Aquila Inc. retained a “stable” ratings outlook but had its debt downgraded to below investment grade by Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday. In response, the Kansas City-based company said it was “prepared to respond to the potential effects” the downgrade to “Ba2” could bring.

In what appeared to be the second tragic death to occur in the post-Enron, scandal-plagued energy industry in four months, Charles Dana Rice, senior vice president and treasurer of energy giant El Paso Corp., was found dead last week of an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head at his home in the upscale River Oaks section of Houston, according to authorities. The news sent the company’s stock into a tailspin last Monday, but it picked up points later in the week.