Postpones

Without discussion or comment, the head of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Thursday pulled from consideration a last-minute item to launch an investigation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal plans for Long Beach Harbor. The issue is to be considered at the regulators’ next regularly scheduled business meeting April 22.

FERC has granted Kern River Gas Transmission a one-year extension of the start-up date for a small lateral that has been completed but is waiting on its customer — a planned Duke Energy North America LLP power generation plant in Nevada.

FERC has granted Kern River Gas Transmission a one-year extension of the start-up date for a small lateral that has been completed but is waiting on its customer — a planned Duke Energy North America LLP power generation plant in Nevada.

In another indication that the energy industry’s growing number of distressed assets aren’t easy to move, PG&E Corp.’s bankrupt National Energy Group (NEG) announced Wednesday that it again is postponing the shift of six power plants to groups of lenders led by French and U.S. banks.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) said the final meeting of the energy bill conference, which had tentatively been scheduled for Friday, has been postponed until after the Senate returns from its recess next week. This could delay the Senate and House votes on the energy conference report until November.

As another indication that the energy industry’s growing number of distressed assets aren’t easy to move, PG&E Corp.’s bankrupt National Energy Group (NEG) announced Wednesday that it again is postponing the shift of six power plants to groups of lenders led by French and U.S. banks.

A ruling in June by a U.S. District Court judge that would require the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service to review lease suspensions offshore California has led the federal agency to delay its scheduled public hearings next week. MMS had scheduled hearings July 10 and 12 in California on its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) covering proposed delineation drilling offshore Santa Barbara County.

Denver-based Barrett Resources Corp., still stating publicly that it is barring the doors against a hostile takeover by giant Royal Dutch/Shell, postponed its annual shareholder meeting set for early May, as it continues to search for strategic options to Shell’s cash offer of $55 per share. Barrett rejected the amount as inadequate, but Shell has continued the pursuit, extending its offer through midnight last Friday.

Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) announced Friday he is putting offintroducing the Senate Republicans’ widely anticipatedcomprehensive energy legislation until the week of Feb. 26, at theearliest.