Pipeline

Crosstex Energy Inc. will invest about $25 million in a third natural gas compression and condensate stabilization facility in the Ohio River Valley through E2, a company Crosstex formed in March with former management of Enerven Compression Services to serve Utica Shale producers.

Talks for the settlement of outstanding state regulatory cases relating to the 2010 San Bruno natural gas transmission pipeline rupture and explosion have broken down, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) now expects to litigate the issues at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), said PG&E Corp. CEO Tony Earley.

Settlement talks have broken down for regulatory cases involving the 2010 San Bruno, CA, natural gas transmission pipeline rupture and explosion, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) now expects to litigate the issues at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), according to PG&E Corp. CEO Tony Earley.

Driven by steadily increasing midstream business, Atlas Pipeline Partners LLP’s (APL) natural gas volumes from onshore U.S. plays jumped by double digits in the first three months of this year from a year ago to average 1.03 Bcf/d, the operator said last week.

John H. Williams, 94, a founding leader of natural gas midstream and pipeline giant Williams, died Wednesday at his home in Linville, NC. He had worked for Williams Brothers founders Dave and Miller beginning in 1938, and 11 years later he, his brother Charlie and cousin David bought the company. John Williams served as president and CEO until 1971 and as chairman and CEO from 1971 to 1979. One of his signature achievements was the 1966 purchase of Great Lakes Pipe Line, which at the time was substantially larger than his company. In his tenure as CEO, Williams’ market value increased from $25,000 in 1949 to $406.5 million in 1978. From 1964 to 1974, the average combined return to investors ranked No. 1 among Fortune 500 companies. John Williams is survived by his wife, Joanne, and three sons. “This is a huge loss to many of us personally and certainly for our great company,” said Williams CEO Alan Armstrong. “He has been an inspiration to all who have been lucky enough to know him.”

Driven by steadily increasing midstream business, Atlas Pipeline Partners LLP’s (APL) natural gas volumes from onshore U.S. plays jumped by double digits in the first three months of this year from a year ago to average 1.03 Bcf/d, the operator said late Monday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is raising “environmental objections” to the State Department’s draft environmental impact statement for the northern portion of the $7 billion, 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline that would carry Canadian crude to Cushing, OK. Sponsor TransCanada Corp. had no comment. A southern portion, not requiring a federal review, is under construction between Cushing to the Gulf Coast.

North Dakota lawmakers continue holding hearings and debating the merits of energy bills to create incentives for less associated gas flaring at the wellhead and to provide tax relief for oil and gas producers, a spokesperson for the state Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) told NGI’s Shale Daily Monday.

Natural gas spot prices, which averaged $2.75/MMBtu at the Henry Hub last year and $3.33 last month, are expected to climb to an average of $3.41 this year and $3.63 in 2014, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).