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The Nova Scotia government took a page from the U.S. notebook Thursday, hosting a forum that brought together industry, consumer and international expertise — including the U.S. ambassador — in a process to develop a secure energy strategy. The forum, which soon will lead to a formal policy, also set a precedent as the northern Canadian province aggressively pursues expansion of its vast resources.

The fading late-April swing market continued on a path of moderate softness Thursday. Except for plunges at some California points, where temperatures are cooling again after a flash of summer-like heat earlier in the week, other markets ranged from flat to down about 15 cents. A majority of declines were between a nickel and a dime.

For the first time all week, all markets were united on the samerising price page Friday. The Rockies and scattered other pointswere among the few failing to gain about 20 cents or more. NorthernCalifornia led the surge with PG&E citygate upticks of nearly$2.

Lost in the higher profile aspects of California’s chronicpage-one headlines surrounding its energy crisis is the statelegislature’s inclusion of a ban on retail direct access powerdeals, dealing the few remaining nonutility power retailers whatcould be a death blow unless a corrective legislative solution isfound. That corrective action was pursued last week when the headof the state Senate energy committee, state Sen. Debra Bowen,proposed to reinstitute retail energy sales (SB 27X) as part of themeasures being tossed around in the second month of a special statelegislative session called by the governor to address theemergency.

Following an East-West swing market division the day before,everybody was on the same page Tuesday. Except for merely smallgains at western points where Canadian gas is traded (i.e., Sumas,Stanfield, intra-Alberta), double-digit increases reigned. Octobernumbers also were reported rising.

Unlike the East-West price movement division that markedFriday’s and Monday’s trading, the cash market returned Tuesday toa unified trend that resembled last Thursday’s: down considerably.

ANR Pipeline slipped more than a few lumps of coal in GuardianPipeline’s stocking over the holidays’ in the form of a 250-pageprotest and motion for dismissal filed with FERC. The Coastalsubsidiary has a right to be angry at its new competitor. TheGuardian project will result in the decontracting of about 650MDth/d of ANR’s firm transportation capacity by Guardian shipperand affiliate Wisconsin Gas and the loss of $54 million in annualrevenue, according to ANR’s calculations.

All sources were on the same page Tuesday regarding what waspushing cash prices upward. “Blame the screen,” they chorused,because there weren’t any fundamentals around at which to point.Just about every point was up between 10 and 15 cents, except forintra-Alberta increases of a little over a nickel.

In a two-page mea culpa to shippers, Enron Transportation &Storage (ETS) owned up to seven sins revealed by a recent customersurvey and offered six solutions with the promise of more to come.