Publications

The federal government’s budget sequestration has hit the Energy Information Administration (EIA), forcing the agency to suspend publication of its Annual Energy Review (AER) and its companion publication, Energy Perspectives. The publications, which were to be released later this year, were to have included data compiled during 2012. EIA said it will expand its Monthly Energy Review (MER) to incorporate annual data as far back as 1949 for data series from about 70 key tables currently included in AER and MER. The expanded monthly publication will combine historical data usually published in the AER with up-to-date data from the MER. The announcement comes just weeks after EIA said it hoped to expand its monthly 914 survey to include individual reports on 14 states (see NGI, April 8). EIA’s ability to expand its reporting of gas production would hinge on several factors, including the federal government’s budget sequestration, Barbara Mariner-Volpe of EIA’s Office of Energy Statistics said at the time.

The federal government’s budget sequestration has hit the Energy Information Administration (EIA), forcing the agency to suspend publication of its Annual Energy Review (AER) and its companion publication, Energy Perspectives. The publications, which were to have come out later this year, were to have included data compiled during 2012.

One of the first ex-energy traders to be indicted for taking part in a scheme to manipulate natural gas prices by reporting false information to industry publications was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison.

FERC’s conference on the status of price reporting late last month produced a face-off between price index publishers and the director of enforcement for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a confrontation indicative of the intensity of the behind-the-scenes legal battles being fought by the publishers to maintain confidentiality of their sources.

FERC’s conference on the status of price reporting produced a face-off Friday between price index publishers and the director of enforcement for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a confrontation indicative of the intensity of the behind-the-scenes legal battles being fought by the publishers to maintain confidentiality of their sources.

While municipal utilities remain unconvinced that the voluntary system of reporting natural gas prices to publications is sufficient, they filed recommendations with FERC last Tuesday for improvements to the voluntary system in the absence of a mandatory reporting system (PL03-3).

While municipal utilities remain unconvinced that the voluntary system of reporting natural gas prices to publications is sufficient, they filed recommendations with FERC Tuesday for improvements to the voluntary system in the absence of a mandatory reporting system (PL03-3).

FERC should put off finalizing its proposed rules on price reporting to publications until it has a chance to evaluate how well its voluntary guidelines are succeeding, producers said in comments filed Monday (RM03-10). If the Commission does proceed with its proposed amendments to blanket certificates, it needs to refine its definitions of prohibited behavior, producers and others said.

A joint study to be released today reveals that the price datareported by the gas industry’s three major publications – NaturalGas Intelligence, Inside Ferc and Gas Daily – is both consistentand reliable.