Suspending

ConocoPhillips, the largest operator in the San Juan Basin, is temporarily suspending its natural gas drilling in the Four Corners region because of low gas prices, a spokesman said Thursday.

ConocoPhillips, the largest operator in the San Juan Basin, is temporarily suspending its natural gas drilling in the Four Corners region because of low gas prices, a spokesman said Thursday. The news comes on the heels of reports by energy analysts that the gas rig count may only reach 450 this year and not strengthen into 2014.

In a move anticipated by oil and natural gas producers, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) said Monday it was suspending 64 water withdrawal permits due to ongoing drought conditions in the basin, the highest number of suspensions since it began issuing permits in 2008.

EQT Corp. is suspending its Huron Shale program “indefinitely” in light of low commodity prices, the Pittsburgh company announced in a one line statement Friday.

With Tropical Storm Bonnie becoming a potential threat to the Gulf of Mexico, BP plc on Friday said it was suspending relief well activities targeting its blownout Macondo well.

With Tropical Storm Bonnie becoming a potential threat to the Gulf of Mexico, BP plc last Friday said it was suspending relief well activities targeting its blownout Macondo well. “Duration of the suspension of relief well activities will be dependent on the weather,” BP said.

While as much as 5,000 b/d of oil leaks into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), the Obama administration on Thursday did not rule out suspending new deepwater drilling activity while the offshore oil industry garners heightened scrutiny by lawmakers.

Citing “insufficient supplies of gas,” CIG notified customers that it anticipates suspending operations at the Natural Buttes Processing Plant starting June 1. The plant “was designed to provide gas conditioning services for a volume of gas that greatly exceeds the current throughput of the facility,” the pipeline said. It also reported receiving notice that effective June 1 a large percentage of current throughput at Natural Buttes will be diverted to the new Chipeta cryogenic processing plant and redelivered to CIG at the Anabuttes receipt point. CIG said it will attempt to continue operating the Natural Buttes plant but expects to suspend that activity “until such time as additional volumes are available for conditioning.” A restart of the plant is estimated to take approximately 24 to 48 hours depending on ambient temperatures, CIG said. While Natural Buttes operations are interrupted, all gas tendered to CIG at that receipt point will be required to meet the pipeline’s mainline gas quality requirements.

Idaho regulators announced Friday they were suspending a requested effective date for Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities’ proposed natural gas and electricity rate increases for its Idaho customers. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) set May 9 as the deadline for intervenors filing in the case in which Avista is seeking overall increases of 15.4-16.5% for electricity and no more than 3.3% for gas.