Plea

Massachusetts Congressmen James McGovern and Barney Frank on Wednesday appealed to President Bush to support the Navy’s plea to reopen the controversial case to site the Weaver’s Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Fall River, MA, on the grounds that it would interfere with the Navy’s testing of warfare systems.

The major natural gas and oil associations, price publishers NGI and Platts, the Intercontinental Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange joined Tuesday in one last plea to Congress — to the conferees on the energy bill — to take note of the progress made over the last three years in voluntary price reporting and not impose a new mandatory system.

In another plea agreement reached by the Enron Task Force in Houston last Wednesday, four former El Paso Corp. natural gas energy traders last week agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges for reporting false trades to an industry publication and agreed to cooperate with an ongoing federal probe.

In another plea agreement reached by the Enron Task Force in Houston, four former El Paso Corp. natural gas energy traders were expected to plead guilty to criminal charges for reporting false trades to an industry publication and will cooperate with an ongoing federal probe, prosecutors said Wednesday in a Houston courtroom.

Federal prosecutors in Houston last week urged a judge to follow the arranged plea bargain against Lea Fastow, who is scheduled to be sentenced this week. She is the wife of former Enron Corp. CFO Andrew Fastow, and pleaded guilty earlier this year to filing a false tax report (see NGI, Jan. 19).

Acting swiftly on the pipeline’s plea for an extension, FERC last Monday said Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline could take an additional six months to complete construction and place into service a proposed lateral in Missouri.

Acting swiftly on the pipeline’s plea, FERC on Monday said Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline could take an additional six months to complete construction and place into service a proposed lateral in Missouri.

A plea by large chemical maker, Huntsman LLC for Congress to investigate soaring natural gas prices, led by an express train futures market, apparently has been heard in Washington. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said Friday he will hold hearings when Congress returns next year. The move was seconded by Sen. Harry Reed (D-NV), assistant minority leader. The prompt month futures contract closed up 60 cents Friday at $7.22/MMBtu and reached a high of $7.55 during the week.

In a direct plea to House-Senate negotiators on the energy bill, ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO James Mulva on Thursday called on conferees to “reconsider” their objections to providing Alaska gas producers with subsidies to offset the risks associated with building a proposed pipeline from the North Slope to the Lower 48 states.