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Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, a rival for her Senate seat in 2004, to put his money where his mouth is and come to Capitol Hill to lobby Senate Democrats to vote in favor of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He publicly has claimed he could drum up enough votes from Democrats to break the logjam over the controversial issue.

With little fresh fundamental news of its own, the natural gas futures market was a slave to the whims of other markets’ traders Friday. After dropping lower at the opening bell in sympathy with 30-cent losses in the cash market, natural gas futures regrouped and trended higher during the open-outcry session, as buyers fed off the strength in the nearby crude oil pit.

After oscillating higher, then lower and carving out a quick 13-cent trading range in 20 minutes Thursday morning, January natural gas futures finished the day with a bang as traders priced in another in a string of bullish storage reports (91 Bcf withdrawal). January finished at $4.406, up 10.8 cents for the session and just four ticks below its daily high at $4.41.

About 104 square miles of virgin natural gas hunting grounds arebeing thrown open within reach of potential routes for the proposedAlaska pipeline by the Yukon Territory’s second sale in two years.Companies are being given until March 14 to bid on the parcel,which borders on two areas that Anderson Exploration Ltd. scoopedup in the first sale, which was in turn the first one held by theYukon in two decades.

About 104 square miles of virgin natural gas hunting grounds arebeing thrown open within reach of potential routes for the proposedAlaska pipeline by the Yukon Territory’s second sale in two years.Companies are being given until March 14 to bid on the parcel,which borders on two areas that Anderson Exploration Ltd. scoopedup in the first sale, which was in turn the first one held by theYukon in two decades.

Landowners and interstate pipelines actually agreed on somethinglast week – neither were particularly thrilled with some of theinitiatives proposed by FERC for carving out a greater role forlandowners in the certificate process. But the reasons for theirdissatisfaction were completely opposite.

Landowners and interstate pipelines actually agreed on somethingearlier this week — neither were particularly thrilled with someof the initiatives proposed by FERC for carving out a greater rolefor landowners in the certificate process. But the reasons fortheir dissatisfaction were completely disparate.

The on-going inquiry into how to regulate pipelines operating onthe Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) took center stage at FERC lastweek, with interstate pipelines and natural gas producersresponding with proposals that are miles apart.

Insignia/ESG, Inc. formed an alliance with Enron Energy Services(EES) to provide energy services for a 215 million-square-footportfolio of commercial and residential properties leased andmanaged by Insignia/ESG throughout the United States. Enron willanalyze energy consumption and cut costs through efficiencyenhancements. “This program will allow us to take advantage ofmarket opportunities that have arisen from deregulation of theenergy industry,” said Stephen B. Siegel, CEO of Insignia/ESG.