Prepare

BP plc has ratcheted down oil and natural gas production plans through 2012 but it still plans to keep spending near 2008 levels to prepare for a certain upturn, CEO Tony Hayward said Tuesday.

Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) is extending the public comment period for the call for information and notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement on a proposed lease sale for off the coast of Virginia in 2011. The comment period was due to close on Dec. 29, but it has been extended to Jan. 13. This is the first lease sale that MMS has proposed off the East Coast in nearly three decades. The proposed sale area, which is at least 50 miles offshore and covers 2.9 million acres in water depths of 100 feet to 10,000 feet, is believed to contain 1.14 Tcf of natural gas and 130 MMbbl of crude oil, according to the agency.

As both the House and Senate prepare to take up energy legislation, energy experts and industry officials Friday called on lawmakers to take an “ecumenical” approach to domestic energy policy that encourages the production of all resources.

As both the House and Senate prepare to debate energy legislation this week, energy experts and industry officials Friday called on lawmakers to take an “ecumenical” approach to domestic energy policy that encourages the production of all forms of resources.

The engineering and project management company AMEC plc said it has been selected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) of a 17-state, multi-species habitat conservation plan proposed by NiSource. The EIS will be “of unprecedented magnitude in the natural gas industry,” AMEC said. NiSource proposed the habitat conservation plan for its 17,000-mile network of natural gas pipelines, storage fields, compressor stations and appurtenant facilities stretching from Louisiana to Maine. AMEC’s scope of work will include the scheduling and facilitation of stakeholder consultation and public comment meetings, database management, geographical information system services, establishment of the administrative record, creation and production of all EIS documents and overall support to the FWS, including the evaluation of mitigation and conservation measures to enhance and protect species populations and their habitats.

Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced Monday its intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) on four Central and three Western Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas leases sales tentatively scheduled for 2009-2012.

As the federal government and energy industry prepare for the start of hurricane season, a Mineral Management Service (MMS) official said Wednesday that up to 20% of the existing moored rig fleet will not be able to operate in all areas of the Gulf of Mexico during the 2007 hurricane months, a restriction that could impact oil and natural gas production there.

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday authorized Consolidated Edison Co. (Con Edison) to expand a natural gas efficiency program in its service territory to prepare for the 2007-2008 winter heating season.

While a number of high-energy-demand markets prepare for the first real cold snap of the 2006-2007 heating season later this week (see related story), it appears the United States on average will enjoy above-normal temperatures once again this winter, according to the U.S. Winter Weather Outlook released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).