Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), the incoming chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has announced that members of his senior staff will include Joshua Sheinkman, staff director; Sam Fowler, chief counsel; and senior counsels Dan Adamson, Patty Beneke, David Brooks, Michele Miranda and Todd Wooten. Drew Johnston and Cisco Minthorn also will be part of the counsel staff. Senior professional staff will include Isaiah Akin, Meghan Conklin, Kevin Rennert, Allen Stayman and Sara Tucker. Keith Chu has been tapped to be press secretary, and Samantha Offerdahl will be press assistant.
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AccuWeather: Cold Wave to Hit U.S. in Mid-January
So far, it looks like another mild winter is underway, but that is likely to change in a couple of weeks. A sudden warming of the stratosphere — six to 30 miles above the ground — in the North Pole is going to push cold air southward, according to AccuWeather.com.
AccuWeather: Cold Wave to Hit U.S. in Mid-January
So far, it looks like another mild winter is underway, but that is likely to change in a couple of weeks. A sudden warming of the stratosphere — six to 30 miles above the ground — in the North Pole is going to push cold air southward, according to AccuWeather.com.
Industry Brief
Xcel Energy’s combination Colorado utility filed quarterly rate changes with state regulators that could result in monthly retail natural gas utility bills dropping by up to 8% compared to the first quarter this year. The rate for residential natural gas customers would drop 6.9% from 52.06 cents/therm in1Q2012 to 45.17 cents/therm in 1Q2013; for small businesses, rates would drop 8% from 52.28 cents/therm to 44.82 cents/therm. The Denver-based utility is asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for the changes to be effective Jan. 1.
Spectra Lands Express-Platte Oil Pipelines for $1.49B
Houston-based Spectra Energy Corp. said Tuesday it has secured one of the three major pipeline systems that move western Canadian crude oil to refineries in the Rockies and Midwest, agreeing to purchase the entire ownership interest in the 1,717-mile Express-Platte Pipeline System. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2013.
XTO Energy ‘Delays’ Dallas Drilling Fight
Less than a month after renewing its fight for the right to drill its leases at Hensley Field in southwest Dallas, ExxonMobil Corp.’s XTO Energy told the Dallas City Planning Commission to strike its request for specific use permits from the agenda for its Dec. 20 meeting.
People
The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) announced this week that Chesapeake Energy Corp. vice president of government affairs Dave Spigelmyer has been re-elected as the organization’s chair. Randy Albert (COO, Gas Operations, CONSOL Energy), Scott Roy (vice president, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Range Resources Corp.) and John Mollenkopf (senior vice president and COO, MarkWest Energy Partners) were re-elected as vice chair, treasurer and secretary, respectively. The 2013 executive board members are: Dave Cannon, deputy general counsel, Government and Environmental Affairs, EQT Corp.; Jeff Kupfer, senior advisor, Policy and Government Affairs, Chevron; Heather Lamparter, vice president, Legal, EXCO Resources (PA), LLC; Craig Mayer, general counsel, Pennsylvania General Energy; Gary Smith, vice president and general manager, EOG Resources; and Jack Williams, president, XTO Energy. John Bonn, president of NiSource Midstream Services, NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage, and Terry Bossert, senior vice president, Environment & Regulatory Affairs, Chief Oil & Gas, were elected by their peers to serve as at-large members of the Executive Board. Formed three years ago as an organization tasked with addressing issues regarding the production of natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays, the MSC has grown to a diverse, member-driven organization representing virtually every business segment along the robust shale supply chain in the region.
‘Attractive Prices’ Lead Atlas to Add to Barnett Leasehold
Atlas Resource Partners LP (ARP) has picked up its third big leasehold this year in the Barnett Shale by agreeing to pay $255 million to DTE Energy Co. for an affiliate that owns close to 35 million boe of proved reserves in the Fort Worth Basin and in the Marble Falls, TX, area.
Enterprise Adds Texas NGL Fractionation, Crude Storage
The initial phase of Enterprise Products Partners LP’ Enterprise Crude Houston (Echo) storage terminal is complete and the facility is receiving deliveries of crude oil. Separately, the partnership said its sixth natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator at Mont Belvieu, TX, has entered operation.
EFL Overseas Takes Controlling Interest in Liard Basin Project
EFL Overseas Inc. (EFLO) has acquired from Nahanni Energy Inc. additional rights and interests in the Liard Basin natural gas field and facilities in the Kotaneelee area of the Yukon Territory, the Houston-based company said.