Taken

Idaho regulators have taken steps to make sure local MDU Resources Group utility Intermountain Gas Co.’s current projected surplus of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that is sold to nonutility customers includes benefits for the retail regulated gas utility customers.

John Hofmeister is a man on a mission.

The cash market overall retreated 28 cents Wednesday, but if multi-dollar swan dives taken by Northeast and other thinly traded points are excluded, the drop comes to a more meaningful 11 cents. Nearly all points sustained sizeable losses. Midcontinent and California locations were down by double digits, but Gulf points also weakened. At the close of futures trading May had fallen 6.9 cents to $3.900 and June was off by 6.9 cents as well to $3.950. May crude oil plunged $2.74 to $94.45 on unsupportive inventory data and weak economic news.

Tony Hayward, who resigned as BP plc Group CEO following the turbulence that followed the the Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater, has taken over as chairman of CompactGTL, which has pioneered a modular gas-to-liquids (GTL) system for flared natural gas.

Tony Hayward, who resigned as BP plc Group CEO following the turbulence that followed the the Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater, has taken over as chairman of UK-based CompactGTL, which has pioneered a modular gas-to-liquids (GTL) system for flared natural gas. Hayward has been running Genel Energy plc, an Anglo-Turkish explorer. He also participated in Vallares plc, an energy fund vehicle backed by a group of investors. Royal Dutch Shell plc is the dominant leader in giant global GTL technology; CompactGTL is on the other end of the spectrum. The smaller plants are designed to harness flared gas from oilfields.

Shares of Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX) have taken a beating since the company last week provided its outlook for liquids production growth and announced plans to jettison international assets in favor of U.S. plays. It’s a sign that investors have heard enough talk and are ready to see action.

Shares of Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX) have taken a beating since the company last week provided its outlook for liquids production growth and announced plans to jettison international assets in favor of U.S. plays. It’s a sign that investors have heard enough talk and are ready to see action.

A winter drilling season with potential to fulfill Canadian northern oil visions has begun, with an adventurous spirit driving bits down into an all but untouched shale deposit known as the Canol.

Natural gas groups Wednesday said they were hopeful the Obama administration will provide a more cohesive energy policy during the president’s second term, at the same time urging various industry segments to speak to lawmakers and the public with one voice on hydraulic fracturing (fracking).