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Due to confusion over service area territory, 2,300 East OhioGas (EOG) customers wrongfully switched suppliers from the utilityto ACN Energy, the marketer admitted earlier this week. A letterhas been sent to the involved customers. No money changed hands andACN has taken responsibility for the mistake.

The battle between Coastal Corp.’s ANR Pipeline and supportersof the proposed Guardian Pipeline over the lucrative Wisconsin andnorthern Illinois markets intensified last week, as each sidepresented its case through displays of public support. Yet, despitethe bickering and ANR’s attempts to keep Guardian from being built,the pipeline project is expected to be filed with FERC as soon asnext month.

The mid-$2.60s have been a pivotal level for natural gas futuresover the past year. Last November, the December contract managed totrade up to $2.64 — the high price during the “winter thatwasn’t” — before crashing more than a dollar to February lows.Then in July, many market watchers pointed to the August’s abilityto clear the $2.60 level as a harbinger of things to come. OnWednesday once again a line was drawn in the sand at the $2.65level. If the market stays above that level, we can retest thehighs, bull traders insisted. But a settlement below that levelcould spawn a round of selling, countered market bears.

The bloody battle over the right to merge with Southwest GasCorp. has recently claimed another victim: Arizona CorporationCommissioner (ACC) Jim Irvin. Federal and state authorities areinvestigating allegations that the state regulator illegallyinfluenced Southwest Gas to go with Oneok Inc. as a merger partnerinstead of rival suitor Southern Union Co.

The bloody battle over the right to merge with Southwest GasCorp. has recently claimed another victim: Arizona CorporationCommissioner (ACC) Jim Irvin. Federal and state authorities areinvestigating allegations that the state regulator illegallyinfluenced Southwest Gas to go with Oneok Inc. as a merger partnerinstead of rival suitor Southern Union Co.

Supportive physical prices and concerns over supply tightnesstook center stage yesterday in the natural gas pit at Nymex andthat gave bulls the impetus to post the seventh straight priceadvance. The September contract finished up 2.7 cents at $2.748after notching both a higher high and a higher low for the session.Estimated volume was 77,940 contracts.

Once touted as a quick fix for peak demand in the Northeast,salt cavern storage has stumbled over the problem of what do withthe salt that is removed to make the cavern, which appears to beabout as popular as nuclear waste. At this point one project hasbeen delayed and two others appear to have stalled.

Once touted as a quick fix for peak demand in the Northeast,salt cavern storage has stumbled over the problem of what do withthe salt that is removed to make the cavern, which appears to beabout as popular as nuclear waste. At this point one project hasbeen delayed and two others appear to have stalled.

Although the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) is about to embark on another gas royalty in kind (RIK) pilot in the Gulf of Mexico, that doesn’t mean producers there will be completely relieved of gas sales price reporting requirements.