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Although there was only a fairly small return of heat in the Northeast Monday and some areas there were already due to start seeing high temperatures slacken again a few degrees Tuesday, Northeast citygates recorded most of the largest upticks of up to about 35 cents. One source suggested that Monday’s moderate temperature upticks may have spurred a little extra buying by Northeast traders to resolve unexpected Monday imbalances.

Much like the preceding two weeks, the cash market got off to a strong start Monday. A tropical storm near the northern Bahamas posed essentially no threat to offshore gas, but continuing predictions of hot weather in most of the United States and parts of Canada, along with the previous Friday’s spike of 16.8 cents by prompt-month futures, were plenty bullish to cash traders.

Amid industry lobbying of Congress for federal legislation to further jump start an already resurgent natural gas transportation sector, Vancouver, BC-based Westport Innovations Inc., a natural gas engine technology provider, announced last month it has agreed to work with General Motors (GM) to advance engine technology for light-duty vehicles.

The official start of summer 2011 is still more than a week away, but record-high temperatures, a raging Arizona wildfire, a Texas drought and the first Pacific hurricane of the year make it feel like the season is already in full swing.

Much like a week earlier, the cash market got off to a strong start with double-digit increases across the board Monday. It derived support from a 13.6-cent rise in prompt-month futures on the previous Friday, Baker Hughes having reported a further decline in gas-directed drilling rig activity over the course of last week (see Daily GPI, May 23), and growing weather-based load — primarily in the form of hotter temperatures having arrived over the weekend in the South.

EQT Corp. CEO David Porges said the company was “off to a good start” in 2011, but he conceded that more work needed to be done to satisfy shareholders and to meet its strategic challenges.

EQT Corp. CEO David Porges said the company was “off to a good start” in 2011, but he conceded that more work needed to be done to satisfy shareholders and to meet its strategic challenges.

With just less than two months still to go before the official start of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, the prognosis appears to be for a season featuring above-average activity, according to the outlooks from a couple of highly respected forecasters.

With two months still to go before the official start of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, the prognosis appears to be for a season featuring above-average activity, according to the outlooks from a couple of highly respected forecasters.