Requiring

Northern Natural Gas, the operator of offshore Texas Matagorda Offshore Pipeline System (MOPS), said it was requiring the shut-in of all MOPS platforms by Tuesday afternoon due to potential hurricane activity in the Gulf of Mexico. Northern said it was beginning allocation of all scheduled MOPS volumes starting with the Intraday 1 nominations cycle for Tuesday’s gas day but anticipates a return to service Friday for those points based on forecasts of the storm’s path.

The Interior Department issued a new directive Friday to oil and gas lessees and operators requiring them to submit information that addresses prevention measures for a possible blowout, and then followed up Monday with the swearing in of Michael R. Bromwich who will take over the restructuring of the Minerals Management Service into the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOE).

In an effort to further improve price transparency in natural gas markets, FERC last Thursday issued a new rule requiring intrastate gas pipelines involved in interstate services and Hinshaw pipelines to report more transportation and storage transaction data than they currently do and to do so four times annually.

In an effort to further improve price transparency in natural gas markets, FERC Thursday issued a new rule requiring intrastate gas pipelines involved in interstate services and Hinshaw pipelines to report more transportation and storage transaction data than they currently do and to do so four times annually. A pipeline is deemed a Hinshaw line if the interstate gas its transports is received and consumed within the boundary of the same state.

Tennessee said it will implement Tuesday an Imbalance Warning requiring customers to match physical flow with scheduled quantities in Zones 0, 1, L, 2 and 4 upstream of Station 219 to prevent imbalances that would threaten its operational integrity. “Due to mild weather, Bear Creek storage field testing and high utilization through Station 219 Tennessee does not have the ability to absorb imbalances caused by overdeliveries by receipt point operators into the system and undertakes from the system by delivery point operators,” the pipeline said.

Tennessee said it will implement Tuesday an Imbalance Warning requiring customers to match physical flow with scheduled quantities in Zones 0, 1, L, 2 and 4 upstream of Station 219 to prevent imbalances that would threaten its operational integrity. “Due to mild weather, Bear Creek storage field testing and high utilization through Station 219 Tennessee does not have the ability to absorb imbalances caused by overdeliveries by receipt point operators into the system and undertakes from the system by delivery point operators,” the pipeline said.

FERC plans to take a second look Thursday at its Form 552 rule requiring both buyers and sellers of natural gas to report their annual spot market purchases and sales to the agency. The Commission said it may elect to modify the Form 552 requirements depending on the outcome of the technical conference.

FERC’s Office of Enforcement has entered into a stipulation and consent agreement requiring Noble Energy Inc. to pay nearly $4.2 million in civil penalties and disgorged profits to settle violations of the agency’s shipper-must-have-title (SMHT) requirements, buy-sell arrangements and competitive bidding rules for long-term, discounted rate capacity releases.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) plans to take a second look next Thursday at its Form 552 rule requiring both buyers and sellers of natural gas to report their annual spot market purchases and sales to the agency. The Commission said it may elect to modify the Form 552 requirements depending on the outcome of the technical conference.