Producers

High commodity price have sent profits soaring for both major producers and independents. Number one major Exxon Mobil Corp. reported nearly double the profits from a year ago, and fourth-ranked Conoco Inc. also jumped. Independents EOG Resources Inc. and Houston Exploration Co., meanwhile, attributed record earnings to not only prices, but robust domestic gas production.

While geologists, engineers and regulators continue to study how much more there can be, producers and exporters are showing that western Canadian natural gas supplies are still growing.

While geologists, engineers and regulators continue to study how much more there can be, producers and exporters are showing that western Canadian natural gas supplies are still growing.

Just as a couple of producers had predicted, the screen’s upturnMonday afternoon after being mildly negative earlier was enough togenerate a moderate cash rally Tuesday. Only the SouthernCalifornia border and Malin continued to head lower. Just as mostof Monday’s declines had been between 10 and 20 cents, the sameapproximate range applied to most of Tuesday’s rises.

APF Energy Trust said yesterday it will pay C$90 millionincluding debt to acquire all of the outstanding shares of AllianceEnergy Inc., which will double APF’s daily oil and gas production.APF said it would pay the equivalent of 0.201 APF shares for eachAlliance share, or C$2.02 per share up to a maximum of 2.2 millionunits or C$35 million.

The best way to ease the burden of high natural gas costs is tolet producers produce and not overly regulate generators, industryofficials told the Texas Railroad Commission this week. The TRC,which is preparing recommendations on the state’s natural gasmarket, will hear testimony from stakeholders again Thursday beforefinalizing its recommendations for state legislators.

With prices still at record highs by Canadian standards,interest is heating up among producers in accelerating natural gasdevelopment in the East Coast offshore, including remote prospectson the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.

With prices still at record highs by Canadian standards,interest is heating up among producers in accelerating natural gasdevelopment in the East Coast offshore, including remote prospectson the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.

Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. increased its presence inthe East Texas Bossier sand gas play yesterday, spending $38million to acquire Pinnacle Gas Treating Inc., which owns andoperates a natural gas pipeline and treating plant there. Pinnacleis a subsidiary of Western Gas Resources Inc. based in Denver, andit plans to use the sale to pay down debt.