Proposed

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has proposed a $355 million package intended to speed construction of a natural gas liquefaction plant on the state’s North Slope and a gas distribution system in the Fairbanks area. The projects are intended to be a bridge until the time when the state can complete an in-state gasline to carry North Slope gas.

ExxonMobil Corp. and Imperial Oil Ltd. are in the “very early stages” of planning a business to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from British Columbia’s west coast, Imperial CEO Bruce March said Monday.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday proposed a $355 million package intended to speed construction of a natural gas liquefaction plant on the state’s North Slope and a gas distribution system in the Fairbanks area. The projects are intended to be a bridge until the time when the state can complete an in-state gasline to carry North Slope gas.

Accusing Tennessee Gas Pipeline of “improperly segmenting” its expansion projects to avoid rigorous environmental reviews, three environmental groups have filed an emergency motion asking FERC to expedite consideration of their request for the agency to rehear a May order approving the pipeline’s Northeast Upgrade Project.

The Bakken Shale may be booming, but Oneok Partners LP’s recent open season for the proposed Bakken Crude Express Pipeline was a bust, and the project has been scrapped, the partnership said Tuesday.

Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline Inc. is holding a binding open season through Dec. 7 for expansion capacity proposed to carry production from the Granite Wash, Cleveland/Tonkawa and Mississippian Lime areas to markets in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri as well as other intrastate and interstate pipelines. The Straight Blackwell Expansion would involve expanding the capacity of Southern Star’s system beginning in Texas County, OK, along the Straight Blackwell Line (Line Segment 315) extending east to its Blackwell Compressor Station in Kay County, OK. Customer interest will dictate whether Southern Star pursues the expansion and will help define the final parameters of any project, the company said. Southern Star said if the project proceeds, it will, subject to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval, install the necessary facilities to serve all or a portion of the requested capacity. Expansion service could begin Oct. 1. For more information, contact Philip Rullman at (270) 852-4440, Jim Neukam at (270) 852-4665, Pat Coomes at (270) 852-4552, Robbie Clark at (270)-852-4577, or Dale Sanders at (270) 852-4666.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state will miss a Nov. 29 deadline for revised rules governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), a development that should reopen the rulemaking process to at least one public hearing.

CNOOC Ltd. has reportedly agreed to management and employment conditions set by the Canadian government as prerequisites to its proposed C$15.1 billion takeover bid for Calgary-based oil and gas producer Nexen Inc. Two sources familiar with the matter said CNOOC, an arm of state-controlled China National Offshore Oil Co., has agreed to reserve at least half of Nexen’s board and management positions for Canadians, along with other conditions recently requested by Alberta Premier Alison Redford, Bloomberg reported. Shareholders of Nexen voted 99% in favor of accepting CNOOC’s takeover offer (see Daily GPI, Sept. 21). But Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly cautioned North American money managers against assuming the bid is a done deal, and some polls indicate that a majority of Canadians oppose the deal. The final Canadian say is in the hands of the federal cabinet under the national Foreign Investment Review Act, which gives ministers wide discretion under a “benefits test” for big corporate deals.

The proposed business restructuring of TransCanada Corp.’s shaky natural gas Mainline is a thinly disguised bailout of the company that will cost its customers C$3.2 billion, said an Alberta government watchdog agency (see related story).