Specifications

Acting on specifications in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Minerals Management Service (MMS) published requests for comments in the Federal Register this week to prepare for proposed rulemakings that would provide royalty relief for gas and oil production using enhanced recovery techniques and for gas production from methane hydrates.

A Gulf South Pipeline official on Tuesday cautioned FERC against making changes in gas quality and interchangeability specifications that would severely affect the composition of natural gas, saying this could further restrict an already tight gas supply situation.

Financial analysts see a sharper focus this year on reserves accounting systems, continued financial restraint and more international expansion by exploration and production companies, with perhaps a few mergers and acquisitions between integrated companies and refiners. However, less is certain about the status of North America’s natural gas resources, as producers continue to make discoveries but fail to grow production.

Financial analysts see a sharper focus this year on reserves accounting systems, continued financial restraint and more international expansion by exploration and production companies, with perhaps a few mergers and acquisitions between integrated companies and refiners. However, less is certain about the status of North America’s natural gas resources, as producers continue to make discoveries but fail to grow production.