Pushing

Low seasonal gas demand combined with limited available storage capacity will pressure cash prices, pushing the November natural gas futures contract lower, asserted a Credit Suisse analyst in a research note Friday, arguing against a decoupling of the prompt-month contract from cash.

SandRidge Energy Inc. is pushing ahead on plans to become a niche natural gas player after throwing down a bid close to midnight last Tuesday to buy bankrupt Crusader Energy Group Inc. in a cash and stock transaction worth an estimated $230 million.

SandRidge Energy Inc. is pushing ahead on plans to become a niche natural gas player after throwing down a bid close to midnight Tuesday to buy bankrupt Crusader Energy Group Inc. in a cash and stock transaction worth an estimated $230 million.

Idaho regulators approved a rate settlement for Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities, pushing typical monthly residential natural gas and electric bills up a buck each starting Aug. 1. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) said its approval means Avista residential customers will pay just slightly more than an added 1% — about $1 — as the net result of four rate adjustments.

Even though California utilities have been spending billions of dollars pushing renewables and energy efficiency while preparing for stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission restrictions that start in 2012, a host of legislative proposals dealing with all of those issues and more were kicked around in an all-day meeting of the state Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee last Tuesday. Most of the 34 items passed.

A call for mandatory clearing or pushing all over the counter (OTC) market futures products onto an exchange, particularly nonstandardized products, was one of the main points of dispute among congressmen, financial industry witnesses and critics at an extensive hearing on market reform Thursday before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Natural gas futures bulls tried to capitalize on Thursday’s momentum in early Friday trade by pushing the July contract north of $4.100, but profit-takers had other ideas as the prompt-month contract reversed course in a hurry to close the day’s regular session at $3.835, down 12.2 cents from Thursday’s finish.

With gasoline prices exceeding $5/gallon in parts of the state, Californians are pushing back at the pump and softening their historic reluctance toward additional nuclear generating plants, offshore drilling and liquefied natural gas (LNG) development, according to a new Field Poll.

With gasoline prices exceeding $5/gallon in parts of the state, Californians are pushing back at the pump and softening their historic reluctance toward additional nuclear generating plants, offshore drilling and liquefied natural gas (LNG) development, according to a new Field Poll.