Progress

Transco said unfavorable weather had delayed the progress of repairs to a section of pipe in Eugene Island Block 135 on its Southeast Louisiana Lateral that was damaged during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Transco now anticipates completion of the work on Feb. 15; it had previously expected to finish Jan. 31 (see Daily GPI, Jan. 16).

WPS Resources Corp. and Peoples Energy Corp. said last week that they have made progress toward obtaining the approvals needed to close their proposed $1.52 billion merger, including a resolution of issues with all complaining parties in Illinois. The companies added that the proposed merger remains on track for completion during the first quarter of 2007 (see NGI, July 17, 2006).

WPS Resources Corp. and Peoples Energy Corp. said Tuesday that they have made progress toward obtaining the approvals needed to close their proposed $1.52 billion merger, including a resolution of issues with most intervening parties in Illinois. The companies added that the proposed merger remains on track for completion during the first quarter of 2007 (see Daily GPI, July 7, 2006).

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued two related reports that give natural gas pipelines high marks for the progress they’ve made in improving the safety of their systems, and it recommended that Congress and the Department of Transportation (DOT) fine-tune current laws and regulations to further aid pipelines in their efforts.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued two related reports Friday that gave natural gas pipelines high marks for the progress they’ve made in improving the safety of their systems, and it recommended that Congress and the Department of Transportation (DOT) make changes to their laws and regulations to aid pipelines in their efforts.

The House Government Reform Committee is “gratified” at the Bush administration’s progress in getting producers to voluntarily agree to pay higher royalties on deepwater oil and natural gas production, but it won’t slow down the committee’s investigation into why price thresholds were absent from leases issued in 1998 and 1999 — an oversight that is costing the federal government billions of dollars, a staff member said.

The House Government Reform Committee is “gratified” at the Bush administration’s progress in getting producers to voluntarily agree to pay higher royalties on deepwater oil and natural gas production, but it won’t slow down the committee’s investigation into why price thresholds were absent from leases issued in 1998 and 1999 — an oversight that is costing the federal government billions of dollars, a staff member said.

Despite the drilling progress that has been made and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals that have been planned, the gas supply picture remains uncertain, and over the next few years natural gas markets can expect continued price volatility, speakers at GasMart 2006 said Thursday. LNG supply will remain tight until the end of the decade, and Gulf of Mexico, unconventional onshore and LNG resources all will be needed to meet growing industrial and power generation demand.

Pushing greater use of hydrogen as an energy alternative may be a “market opportunity” for the natural gas industry, according to an in-progress study unveiled Tuesday as part of the National Hydrogen Association’s annual conference in Long Beach, CA.