Rates

A group of producers has filed at FERC a protest to Sea Robin Pipeline Co.’s proposed rate increase, calling the request for increases of as much as 1,450% for gathering service — prompted, in large part, by declining gas receipts — “excessive.”

The rate hike reflects the larger-than-expected first-year total cost of service of $250.2 million for the expansion, which is expected to go into service on Nov. 1.

After recent years of rate decreases, Idaho regulators approved purchased gas adjustment (PGA) rate increases on Wednesday for the state’s two major natural gas utility distribution companies: Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities and Boise, ID-based Intermountain Gas Co. The rate changes are effective Tuesday (Oct. 1).

A FERC administrative law judge (ALJ) has approved an uncontested settlement between Viking Gas Transmission and its shippers resolving charges that the company over-recovered costs, resulting in unjust and unreasonable rates for shippers

A proposal to hike rates by Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) of Kansas City, MO, also includes incentives to encourage energy efficiency among consumers and options for the financing of energy-efficient appliances, the Laclede Gas Co. utility said.

A number of natural gas utilities across the United States have asked state regulators for a decrease in their rates as the winter heating season approaches, citing an oversupply of gas from shale gas development.

Rates for offshore rigs improved and the amount of downtime fell between April and June, helping to buoy offshore drilling contractor Noble Corp. to higher-than-expected profits.

Range Resources Corp. has the potential to produce up to 8 Bcf/d from the Marcellus Shale, an executive said Tuesday.

Complying with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed hydraulic fracturing (fracking) rulemaking for drilling on public lands would cost as much as $180,250/well, or $370 million annually, according to economists with Oklahoma City University (OCU).