Publicly

Spectra Energy, which separated from Duke Energy and became a stand-alone, publicly traded company earlier this year, on Friday announced that its midstream master limited partnership (MLP), Spectra Energy Partners LP, plans to spin off as an initial public offering (IPO). The time for the spin-off was not disclosed.

In what could be part of the prelims to bigger, harder-hitting fights, Nevada Consumer Advocate Eric Witkoski in March has publicly lashed out at Sierra Pacific Resources’ two utilities, alleging possible shoddy maintenance practices in the north and an excessive general rate increase request in the south. Meanwhile, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that regulates the utilities has been mostly quiet.

Natural gas association officials last Wednesday publicly expressed optimism about working with a new Democratic Congress, although they acknowledged that the direction of energy policy would likely shift to alternative energy and away from oil and gas in the short run, and that offshore drilling legislation — if not passed by the current Republican-controlled Congress in the lame-duck session — would become a back-burner issue.

Natural gas association officials on Wednesday publicly expressed optimism about working with a new Democratic Congress, although they acknowledged that the direction of energy policy would likely shift to alternative energy and away from oil and gas in the short run, and that offshore drilling legislation — if not passed by Republicans in the upcoming lame-duck session — would become a back-burner issue.

Natural gas producers, able to publicly air their grievances in hearings before the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), are repeating one belief again and again: the lack of competition in Texas enables pipeline operators to dictate the contract terms for shipping gas to the marketplace. This lack of competition, they say, controls where they drill wells more than the geology.

In its most recent weather forecast released publicly on Tuesday, WSI Corp. said it expects the U.S. to see a mixed bag of temperatures from September through November.

One of the nation’s largest merchant energy marketers, recently renamed and publicly held Commerce Energy Group, Inc., Monday named a new CEO with an extensive energy background, Steven S. Boss. He will bring along a new chief financial officer following last week’s removal of the president/CEO and CFO at the Southern California-based firm.

Officials at FERC’s Office of Market Oversight and Investigation (OMOI) said last week they found no evidence that Dominion employees had prior knowledge of the erroneous storage data that a Dominion “clerk” mistakenly submitted to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) last November.

Officials at FERC’s Office of Market Oversight and Investigation (OMOI) said Thursday that they have found no evidence that Dominion employees had prior knowledge of the erroneous storage data that a Dominion “clerk” mistakenly submitted to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) last November.