Shot

A battle for a grip on the growing gas market in the Florida Panhandle has flared up, involving a trio of gas pipeline companies, two of which are planning new offshore routes to the state from producing platforms near Mobile Bay, AL.

Giving gas unbundling efforts in California a shot in the arm,FERC last week approved a major agreement to restructure thelong-term transportation and gas sales arrangements that haveenabled Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) over the years toreceive imports of Canadian gas through its paper pipelineaffiliate, Pacific Interstate Transmission Co. (PITCO).

While gas reserves in the lower-48 states declined slightly lastyear (down 519 Bcf, or 0.3%), gas discoveries shot up 27% “from avery good 1996,” to the highest level in the past decade, theEnergy Information Administration said in an advance summary of astudy titled “U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas LiquidsReserves 1997 Annual Report.”