Roundtable

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled three forums on natural gas issues in May. The forums, which would be held in a roundtable format “to encourage discussion and allow flexibility to find areas of agreement,” would include input from members and a variety of stakeholders, according to committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Topics for the forums are “Infrastructure, Transportation, Research and Innovation” (May 16), “Domestic Supply and Exports” (May 21) and “Shale Development: Best Practices and Environmental Concerns” (May 23).

The South Texas Energy and Economic Roundtable (Steer), which is claimed to be “the most comprehensive Eagle Ford Shale resource in the region,” has opened its offices in San Antonio, TX.

North American energy self-suffiency “is within reach,” but an energy strategy that capitalizes on U.S. advantages must be implemented, Business Roundtable (BRT), a group of CEOs of U.S. companies, said Monday.

A quartet of nominees for positions at FERC, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the Interior Department appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday to answer questions about hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and other issues as part of their confirmation process.

Natural gas storage may “routinely fill up in the U.S. much earlier than in the past,” FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher told reporters at a Washington, DC press briefing on Wednesday.

Following last week’s flurry of state initiatives and an energyroundtable among 10 western governors, California will be busysorting through the details full this week, including signinginitial long-term power contracts, which Gov. Gray Davis haspromised will begin to move the continuing “crisis” into thelonger-term “challenge” mode. In the interim retail direct-accesssales will be suspended among other provisions in the newlegislation.

The California Chamber of Commerce and the state’s BusinessRoundtable have urged the California Public Utilities Commission(CPUC) to “allow retail rates to at least moderately reflectwholesale rates,” in order to keep the state’s utilities inbusiness and assure “the lights will stay on.”