Returns

Questar Corp.’s long-term strategy will continue to focus on the “three Rs” — returns, risks and the Rocky Mountains, CEO Keith Rattie said last week.

Questar Corp. CEO Keith Rattie said Wednesday his company’s long-term strategy will continue to focus on the “three Rs” — returns, risks and the Rocky Mountains.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. executives said last week that their ongoing asset divestiture program is yielding returns that are better than they expected, so good in fact that the company will not need to issue new equity as it rights its balance sheet following this year’s acquisition of Kerr-McGee Corp. and Western Gas Resources (see NGI, June 26).

On Nov. 8 — after election returns showed Democrats will take control of both houses of Congress — many in the oil and gas industry likely heard the windfall profits tax bogeyman knocking on the door.

On Nov. 8 — after election returns showed Democrats will take control of both houses of Congress — many in the oil and gas industry likely heard the windfall profits tax bogeyman knocking on the door.

One of the bit players in the Enron Corp. melodrama was sentenced to two years probation last week for filing false income tax returns. Lawrence Lawyer, 38, who had once worked for Enron Broadband Services, faced up to three years in prison for failing to report $79,469 to the Internal Revenue Service. Lawyer reportedly received the money over four years beginning in 1997 from ex-Enron executive Michael Kopper in what the prosecutors had called a kickback scheme related to RADR, one of Enron’s dubious special purpose entities.

One of the bit players in the Enron Corp. melodrama was sentenced to two years probation on Monday for filing false income tax returns. Lawrence Lawyer, 38, who had once worked for Enron Broadband Services, faced up to three years in prison for failing to report $79,469 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Despite continued stagnation in terms of shut-in returns from the Gulf of Mexico, October natural gas futures continued to explore lower on Tuesday, testing support lines and settling below $11 for the first time since Hurricane Katrina hit at $10.763, down 26.8 cents from Monday.

The House is expected to appoint conferees for the upcoming House-Senate conference on the omnibus energy after it returns from its recess on Monday (July 11), according to a Capitol Hill spokesman.