Pump

Even in the midst of a brewing international oil crisis and the state’s skyrocketing gasoline prices at the pump, Californians are expanding their organized opposition to proposed offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals along the state’s southern Pacific Coast. Hoping to head off the ground swell, One proponent already has scheduled community information meetings later this month in Oxnard and Malibu, CA, the onshore entry point for a terminal 22 miles offshore.

It was nothing but good quarterly financial news for both majors and many of the large U.S.-based independent producers last week, which attributed their substantial earnings increases in most cases to higher commodity prices. However, production numbers were not as keen, especially for domestic operations, with only a handful of companies offering positive news for natural gas and oil-equivalent volumes.

Strong production gains from its existing leases in Alberta and Saskatchewan will pump up Calgary-based Enterra Energy Corp.’s third quarter earnings 300% over a year ago, the company said Thursday.

Coming at a time when a national plan is gathering more supportas energy prices have escalated at the pump and in homes andbusinesses, the governors of the 30 U.S. oil and gas producingstates this week began their push for an official national energypolicy, offering their own four-pronged strategy.