Refuses

After waiting for 30 years, the pro-industry faction in Canada’s Northwest Territories refuses to let rising costs and prolonged regulatory dueling freeze the hopes for an arctic natural gas production and pipeline development.

After waiting for 30 years, the pro-industry faction in Canada’s Northwest Territories refuses to let rising costs and prolonged regulatory dueling freeze the hopes for an arctic natural gas production and pipeline development.

Yielding to winter-like weather that refuses to go away in most market areas or to acknowledge the official beginning of spring earlier in the week, prices rose at a solid majority of points Wednesday. Mild softness occurred at a few Midcontinent and western points.

In a much anticipated ruling, the Supreme Court last Thursday refused to order Vice President Dick Cheney to turn over records and documents of the energy task force that crafted the national energy policy in 2001, but instead it punted the controversial case back to a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, for further consideration.

In a much anticipated ruling, the Supreme Court on Thursday decided not to order Vice President Dick Cheney to turn over records and documents of the energy task force that crafted the national energy policy in 2001, but instead it sent the controversial case back to a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, for further consideration.

Except for plunges in the Rockies, the market ended the week on a considerably stronger price note Friday than some had been expecting. A few Midcontinent pipes (Williams, NGPL-Midcontinent and Reliant-West) were close to either side of flat, but gains at other non-Rockies points ranged from a little less than a dime to more than a dollar (Algonquin citygate). A majority of the upticks were between a dime and a quarter, with much larger ones clustered in Northeast citygates.

FERC Chief Administrative Law Judge Curtis L. Wagner stunned his courtroom yesterday when he abruptly adjourned the affiliate-abuse phase of the hearing exploring charges against El Paso Natural Gas and affiliate El Paso Merchant Energy after the company refused to put El Paso Corp. Chairman William Wise and other top corporate executives on the stand to respond to questions from Wagner.

Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric(PG&E) suffered a major blow Wednesday when FERC deniedproposals to relax the creditworthy standards for the utility powerpurchases from third-party suppliers.

Like a monster at the end of horror movie that refuses to die,natural gas futures sprung back to life Friday following Thursday’squiet trading session that led some to believe the bull-run wasover. It didn’t take the market to prove them wrong Friday, as theJune contract gapped higher at the open and then erupted 11.5 centsto close at $3.825.