Potentially

Potentially big regulatory changes lie ahead for the natural gas industry as Congress gets down to business in the next few months on legislation to limit speculation in the commodity markets. “The real question is whether the changes will make the existing regulatory system stronger or create an entirely new system that will fix the perceived problems without creating new problems for the future,” Gregory Mocek, former director of enforcement for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), told NGI.

Potentially big regulatory changes lie ahead for the natural gas industry as Congress gets down to business in the next few months on legislation to limit speculation in the commodity markets. “The real question is whether the changes will make the existing regulatory system stronger or create an entirely new system that will fix the perceived problems without creating new problems for the future,” Gregory Mocek, former director of enforcement for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), told NGI.

After starting its run as front-month contract with two days of negligible gains, May natural gas futures were pushed lower Wednesday, potentially in preparation for another bearish out-of-season natural gas storage build. The contract ended up dropping 8.1 cents from Tuesday’s close to finish Wednesday’s regular session at $3.695.

A substantial and potentially prolonged downturn in the demand for global drilling and oilfield services — particularly onshore North America — led Moody’s Investors Service last week to lower its outlook on the sector to “negative” from “stable.”

A substantial and potentially prolonged downturn in the demand for global drilling and oilfield services — particularly onshore North America — led Moody’s Investors Service Monday to lower its outlook on the sector to “negative” from “stable.”

Among the new business that will greet the Obama administration next year is potentially a request for increased loan guarantees for the Alaska gas pipeline project for which TransCanada Corp. has been awarded the concession. However, the company is taking a wait-and-see approach to whether it will seek an increase in the guarantees, currently worth about $20 billion.

Among the new business that will greet the Obama administration next year is potentially a request for increased loan guarantees for the Alaska gas pipeline project for which TransCanada Corp. has been awarded the concession. However, the company is taking a wait-and-see approach to whether it will seek an increase in the guarantees, currently worth about $20 billion.

May natural gas futures were able to shrug off potentially bearish news and closed at a new all-time high Wednesday for the price advance that began in December. The May contract rose 17.4 cents to $10.781 and the June contract added 18.3 cents to settle at $10.946. June crude oil gained 23 cents to $118.30/bbl.

New well techniques have unlocked a potentially huge natural gas play that borders the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, with various third-party estimates putting original gas in place (OGIP) in a wide range of between 50 Tcf and 700 Tcf.