Strapped

The cash-strapped state park system in Colorado is considering using its nonprofit foundation to bring in more private-sector funds, which include allowing more oil and natural gas drilling in some of the state parks, such as the drilling currently taking place at one state park, St. Vrain, near Longmont, CO. A series of public meetings around the state has been set to kick off Thursday in Grand Junction and continue in Colorado Springs (July 24), Fort Collins (July 31) and Denver (Aug. 8). Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are considering corporate sponsorships and/or more oil and gas drilling in state parks to cope with budget cuts, according to reports this month in various news media around the state. Assistant Director Ken Brink told local news media that park visitors do not want state parks named after corporations, or more oil/gas drilling in the parks, but the officials say they may have no choice. There are 42 state parks in Colorado that now are forced to develop all of their revenues through user fees.

The cash- and employee-strapped Colorado state government is battling a growing oil and gas drilling permit backlog created by a combination of a 70% jump in applications between 2007 and 2010 and the recession, which shrank state government. However, oil and gas industry representatives are praising state officials for attempting to address the problem.

Low gas prices mean residential gas bills will be lower, making them easier to pay by cash-strapped consumers, noted analysts at Fitch Ratings. This should alleviate some risk of rising bad debt expense among gas utilities.

Low gas prices mean residential gas bills will be lower, making them easier to pay by cash-strapped consumers, noted analysts at Fitch Ratings. This should alleviate some risk of rising bad debt expense among gas utilities.

Ohio could join the ranks of cash-strapped states that have turned to oil and natural gas drilling on state lands as a means to replenish recession-wracked coffers. Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish, a Democrat, said recently that lawmakers may consider allowing drilling in state parks as long as it does not harm the environment, the Associated Press reported. A study committee recently estimated drilling on state lands could generate $3 million or more in revenue for the state. Earlier this week Republican members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unveiled a plan to further tap into prolific Marcellus Shale deposits by expanding natural gas drilling to 390,000 acres of state forest land over the next three years — a proposal one conservation group quickly labeled “irresponsible” (see Daily GPI, March 25).

The recession has surely driven a few people to dig under their couch cushions for loose change. In cash-strapped Kentucky one lawmaker has proposed that the state look under its own property for oil and gas deposits that might be extracted and monetized.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) Thursday ordered an investigation of Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) request to increase natural gas rates by $107 million, or 11%. The cash-strapped utility, which is owned by the city of Philadelphia, has become a political issue in the coming mayoral election, and some critics want it sold or taken over by the PUC.

The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) on Monday launched an investigation examining the establishment of standards and criteria for financially weakened gas and electric utilities “to assure retail customers continuity of service, including, in particular, continuity in the quality of that utility service.”

State-backed financial bailout options for California’s twocash-strapped utilities were being looked at Friday by the statelegislature and treasurer, including public takeover of the stategrid, as Gov. Gray Davis prepared to divulge his plan today priorto making another trip to Washington, D.C., in search of a federalcap on western wholesale electricity prices later this week.