Procedural

Oregon — raising similar procedural arguments as the state of Washington — has asked FERC to rehear its approval of NorthernStar Natural Gas’ Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal along the Columbia River in Oregon. Two other parties also joined the chorus asking for reconsideration of the Sept. 18 conditioned federal approval.

The U.S. Senate Thursday defeated efforts to include a $32 billion tax package in the underlying broad energy bill (HR 6), but Democrats scored a procedural victory to limit debate on the measure.

Republicans scored a key procedural victory Wednesday when the Senate overwhelmingly voted to move ahead with debate on legislation to open up millions of acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas leasing.

Northeast senators by a two-to-one margin Thursday overcame a procedural budget hurdle that allows for $1 billion in funds that were to be allocated to aid low-income energy customers in fiscal year 2007 to be transferred to the current fiscal year.

Responding to a motion from the California parties, FERC Thursday agreed to temporarily suspend its procedural schedule established in an interim guidance order it released last week. The federal regulatory process will wait for a ruling from a federal district court in New York City that has scheduled a hearing for Jan. 26 on the issue of Calpine Corp.’s bankruptcy court request to set aside eight of its power supply contracts because they are unprofitable for the Chapter 11-protected company.

For the relatively small price of a slight procedural delay, the Mackenzie Gas Project won the opening round of a regulatory fencing match with conservationists that had potential to cut the ground out from under the northern pipeline project.

For the relatively small price of a slight procedural delay, the Mackenzie Gas Project won the opening round of a regulatory fencing match with conservationists that had potential to cut the ground out from under the northern pipeline project.

Canadian natural gas producers have found a procedural crack in Alberta’s bitumen policy and widened it into a doorway to gain at least a temporary reprieve from an order to shut in 938 wells found to jeopardize oil sands projects in northern Alberta. About 80% of the wells stayed open after the Sept. 1 shut-in date set by the July order, when 11 production companies filed a flood of about 740 exemption applications with the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board.

Canadian natural gas producers have found a procedural crack in Alberta’s bitumen policy and widened it into a doorway to gain at least a temporary reprieve from an order to shut in 938 wells found to jeopardize oil sands projects in northern Alberta. About 80% of the wells stayed open after the Sept. 1 shut-in date set by the July order, when 11 production companies filed a flood of about 740 exemption applications with the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board.