Planning

Protesters aiming to “Stop the Frack Attack” were planning to hold a three-day meeting in the nation’s capital at the end of this week for obstructionist training sessions and lobbying of Congress, to be followed by a Saturday afternoon demonstration on the West Lawn of the Capitol.

Responding to suggestions from the energy industry, FERC on Tuesday announced that it is planning five conferences in August to explore the growing interdependence between the North American natural gas and electricity grids. The technical sessions are labeled as a way to improve coordination of the gas and power markets.

Chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) have attracted the most attention from people wary of the well stimulation practice, but water consumption is another worry of fracking skeptics, as evidenced by to two recent reports.

Fifty-five investment organizations and institutional investors with nearly $1 trillion in assets under management are pushing for implementation of “best practices” for hydraulic fracturing (fracking), according to a trio of shareholder groups — Boston Common Asset Management, the Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN) and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) — which are spearheading the effort.

Sempra Energy plans to ride the growing U.S. bandwagon for exporting plentiful domestic supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through a $7 billion joint venture (JV) and midstream master limited partnership (MLP) centered on its under-used Cameron LNG receiving facility in Louisiana, said CEO Debra Reed, who spoke to analysts Thursday in San Diego.

Pennsylvania is reportedly planning to resume paying its dues to the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) 2012-2013, but New York wants to continue cutting its contribution to the watershed protection organization.

Baker Hughes Inc. is planning to open a regional headquarters in Massillon, OH, in 2013 to take advantage of the business opportunities generated by the growing shale gas resources in the Utica and Marcellus formations.

A Vectren Corp. official told a panel of Indiana lawmakers on Tuesday that the state’s 30-year contract to purchase coal-to-substitute natural gas (SNG) from a New York company should be modified so smaller gas customers aren’t stuck with the bill should the deal prove to be a bad investment.

Water reclamation services firm STW Resources Holding Corp. is planning pilot projects in the Permian Basin of West Texas to process produced oilfield water. The Midland, TX-based firm said its mobile processing unit will handle up to 500 barrels of water per day for up to 10 days per site. Some of the processed water could be used for hydraulic fracturing (fracking).