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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line’s (Transco) Northeast Supply Link project to provide additional firm transportation service from the Marcellus Shale. The project would provide 250,000 Dth/d of incremental firm transportation capacity from supply interconnections on Transco’s Leidy Line in Pennsylvania to its 210 Market Pool in New Jersey and the Manhattan, Central Manhattan and Narrows delivery points in New York City. Thirteen miles of additional 42-inch diameter pipe segments, called loops, are to be built in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, along with more compression and modifications. The project, which received a favorable environmental assessment in August, is slated to be completed and in operation by November 2013 (see NGI, March 8, 2010). In addition to the loop segments, the Williams’ pipeline plans to install a 25,000 hp electric motor-driven compressor station and substation in Essex County, NJ, (Station 303); and install a 16,000 hp natural gas turbine-driven compressor unit at its existing Compressor Station No. 515 in Luzerne County, PA. Four shippers have subscribed for all of the capacity including affiliate Williams Gas Marketing Inc. (135,000 Dth/d); Anadarko Energy Services Co. (67,500 Dth/d); MMGS Inc. (32,500 Dth/d and Hess Corp. (15,000 Dth/d).

As Marcellus Shale development has been expanding across Pennsylvania, dairy production has been falling, but it’s unclear how the two trends are connected, according to a report from Pennsylvania State University.

Bismarck, ND-based MDU Resources Group Inc. senior executives on Thursday reiterated that they intend to exploit their home field advantage in all lines of their business by digging deeply into the Bakken Shale play’s continuing robust growth. And they talked bullishly about prospects this year despite reporting earnings that were down slightly quarter over quarter and year over year in 2011.

Shale natural gas has dramatically transformed the outlook for U.S. energy supplies and is having “profound” economic impacts on creating jobs and stimulating growth, as well as bolstering tax revenue and reducing consumer energy costs, according to a study by IHS Global Insight.

The energy security risks of the United States worsened significantly in 2010, but shale gas has the potential to improve the security of natural gas supplies and lower energy costs, according to the second edition of an annual report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy.

Before he was officially replaced Tuesday by one of the three members from the state public utilities commission, Nevada’s lame duck Consumer Advocate Tim Hay fired a legal broadside against Reliant Energy and some of its affiliates, alleging they conspired with now bankrupt Enron Corp. to drive up wholesale power and natural gas costs in Nevada and California during the infamous 2000-2001 energy market meltdown.