Stays

A trio of energy bills signed into law Monday by Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry will help ensure that the state stays at the front of the nation’s alternative energy debate, according to Oklahoma House Speaker Chris Benge (R-Tulsa), who introduced the bills.

As demand continues to be strong but conventional production stays flat and northern supplies remain uncertain, Canadian authorities are betting that liquefied natural gas import terminals proposed for re-exports to the United States will make it into construction.

As demand continues to be strong but conventional production stays flat and northern supplies remain uncertain, Canadian authorities are betting that liquefied natural gas import terminals proposed for re-exports to the United States will make it into construction.

Although a few scattered points in the Gulf Coast and Northeast were able to make small gains Wednesday, the rest of the cash market bowed to modest heating load and the previous day’s futures weakness in recording quotes that ranged from flat to down a little more than 30 cents. Most of the larger losses were concentrated in the West, where seasonable temperatures dominated despite cold and snowy mountainous areas.

Although a few scattered points in the Gulf Coast and Northeast were able to make small gains Wednesday, the rest of the cash market bowed to modest heating load and the previous day’s futures weakness in recording quotes that ranged from flat to down a little more than 30 cents. Most of the larger losses were concentrated in the West, where seasonable temperatures dominated despite cold and snowy mountainous areas.

Cool to cold temperatures were due over the weekend in most areas, but the cash market did not find that enough incentive to sustain Thursday’s sharp gains into Friday. Instead, prices fell at almost all points between a little less than a nickel and nearly half a dollar (the sole gainer was Transco Zone 5’s rise of about 4 cents).

In trading for April Fool’s Day flows, cash prices weren’t joking around. Except for some close-to-flat Rockies points, Wednesday’s quotes for the start of the April aftermarket continued to post substantial double-digit gains that were larger than Tuesday’s end-of-March upticks in many cases. Non-Rockies points rose anywhere from about 15 cents to 35 cents.

Wednesday’s market was virtually a repeat of the one Tuesday, with little or no price movement at the great majority of points and the few increases or decreases being capped at about a nickel. Lingering cold in the Midwest and Northeast was being joined by a modest amount of cooling load developing from Texas through the desert Southwest into California.

Seeing little change in fundamental influences, Tuesday’s market was almost a repeat of the day before. Most points were again close to flat, with some ranging to a little more than a dime up or down. The primary difference was that softening trends showed up more often Tuesday.