Renewed

Congressional lawmakers from California and other western statesrenewed their pleas for aid from the Bush administration to end thepower crisis in their region during a House subcommittee hearinglast week.

Several congressional lawmakers from California yesterdayrenewed their pleas for help from the Bush administration to endthe power crisis in their home state, with some urging a Housesubcommittee to direct FERC to install caps on wholesale power inthe short term while others suggested adjusting Daylight SavingsTime in the region to conserve power.

Westcoast Energy reported yesterday that shippers fully renewedall firm service on its Southern mainline, as well as on keysegments of its Northern mainline. The announcement comes afterWestcoast last September said it was extending the shipper renewaldate to Jan. 31 for service beginning on Nov. 1.

Dow Hydrocarbons and Resources Inc. has renewed its contract touse Planalytic’s Weathernomics Gas Buyer to help manage natural gascosts. The Web-based tool is used for financial risk management tobuy and sell natural gas, suggesting specific buying actions toreduce risk presented by the weather in gas prices for up to oneyear into the future.

Buoyed by renewed storm fears and bargain buying followingThursday’s 6% price slide, natural gas futures were higher Friday,leaving traders to speculate as to whether the downward pricecorrection is complete. November received the largest boost of anymonth, recovering 6.2 cents to close at $5.186. The winter strip,followed suit, gaining a nickel to close at $5.105.

Oh, to be an independent today holding properties withdiscovered natural gas! Two years ago, you may not have been ableto use that collateral for much, but those days are gone. Naturalgas prices have skyrocketed, coupled with consumers’ thirst for it,and if you have properties ready to be tapped for natural gas,these are the days.

Oh, to be an independent today holding properties withdiscovered natural gas! Two years ago, you may not have been ableto use that collateral for much, but those days are gone. Naturalgas prices have skyrocketed, coupled with consumers’ thirst for it,and if you have properties ready to be tapped for natural gas,these are the days.

Columbia Gas of Ohio and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio(PUCO) announced a renewed rate freeze last week that Columbia saidwill pave the way for its popular customer choice program tocontinue until 2004. The agreement, which the company said modifiedand extended a five-year deal struck in 1994, was negotiated byColumbia, the Ohio Consumer’s Counsel (OCC), natural gas marketersand a coalition of Columbia customer groups.

Columbia Gas of Ohio and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio(PUCO) announced a renewed rate freeze yesterday that Columbia saidwill pave the way for its popular customer choice program tocontinue until 2004. The agreement, which the company said modifiedand extended a five-year deal struck in 1994, was negotiated byColumbia, the Ohio Consumer’s Counsel (OCC), natural gas marketersand a coalition of Columbia customer groups.