Perspective

There is very little not to like about shale gas from the perspective of Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), one of the largest electric utilities in the nation and the consumer of 2% of the nation’s annual natural gas demand and 17% of California’s demand. For SCE shale is a “game-changer” and a buffer against wholesale gas price spikes.

There is very little not to like about shale gas from the perspective of Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), one of the largest electric utilities in the nation and the consumer of 2% of the nation’s annual natural gas demand and 17% of California’s demand. For SCE shale is a “game-changer” and a buffer against wholesale gas price spikes.

The 2008 hurricane season “was one of the most destructive years on record from a damage perspective,” according to forecaster Phil Klotzbach of the Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane team.

The 2008 hurricane season “was one of the most destructive years on record from a damage perspective,” according to forecaster Phil Klotzbach of the Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane team.

The most advanced of several proposals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the state — at least from a federal perspective — Northern Star Natural Gas’s proposed $520 million LNG receiving terminal a Bradwood, OR, 37 miles up the Columbia River from the Pacific Coast, will be the subject of a federal hearing in the local Oregon community this Thursday. As it has in similar hearings elsewhere along both the East and West Coasts, safety is expected to be a major topic of discussion.

There is a growing consensus among market observers that working gas levels in storage could fall sharply this winter possibly to near historic lows by April, but several veteran industry analysts warn against crying “the sky is falling” too soon. They say the current amount of working gas in storage appears adequate to handle this winter’s demand, particularly when compared to average storage levels in the mid-1990s.

There is a growing consensus among market observers that working gas levels in storage could fall sharply this winter possibly to near historic lows by April, but several veteran industry analysts warn against crying “the sky is falling” too soon. They say the current amount of working gas in storage appears adequate to handle this winter’s demand, particularly when compared to average storage levels in the mid-1990s.

From the perspective of one of California’s experts on the state’s supply, demand and infrastructure for natural gas, the advent of an explosion of new interstate pipeline and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects into the state is proving to be a very pleasurable diversion from the state’s well-publicized real-time energy woes.

From the perspective of one of California’s experts on the state’s supply, demand and infrastructure for natural gas, the advent of an explosion of new interstate pipeline and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects into the state is proving to be a very pleasurable diversion from the state’s well-publicized real-time energy woes.