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Sea Robin told shippers Tuesday it must shut in the entiresystem for 10-12 hours today and asked them to cut their nominationlevels by 50%. The action resulted from being informed by Texaco,operator of the Sea Robin Processing Plant, that the plant musthalt operation to repair a leak. The event constitutes a forcemajeure, Sea Robin said, and thus it declared an OFO Type 30 forthe shutdown period. The pipeline said it had contacted downstreamdelivery point operators and they could not accept gas untreated bythe plant’s dehydration facility.

Brad Karp, president of Duke Energy Trading and Marketing, tolda group of producers in Houston Thursday that his company is prettybullish on the gas price outlook long term.

Williams told the North Carolina Utilities Commission Wednesdayit may seek contribution from North Carolina’s $200 million of newnatural gas bond funds to provide natural gas from its Transcopipeline to five counties in northeastern North Carolina.

Rep. Robert Franks (R-NJ) told natural gas executives yesterdaythe Pipeline Safety Act of 1995, which is up for reauthorization inCongress this year, has been a success story so far and that hedoesn’t think it should be changed.

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson told the state’sCorporation Commission the proposal by Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG)to combine deregulation with an ongoing rate case at the OCC is notin ratepayers’ best interest.

Think anything but gas is the way to go for the energyindustry’s future? Forget about it. Gas is where it’s at and whereit will continue to be for some time, Coastal CEO David Arledgetold a room full of producers in Houston at the Texas IndependentProducers &amp Royalty Owners Association’s (TIPRO) luncheon lastweek.

When assessing the market of an acquisition target, allcustomers are not equal, Columbia Energy Group Chairman Oliver G.Richard told a merger and acquisition symposium this week.

When assessing the market of an acquisition target, allcustomers are not equal, Columbia Energy Group Chairman Oliver G.Richard told a merger and acquisition symposium this week.

Three members of the Wisconsin Legislature told FERC this weekthey would not be supporting the Viking Voyageur project unlesssignificant safety and evironmental modifications were made.Included among the modifications are thicker pipeline in ruralareas rather than just urban areas, automatic or remote shutoffvalves every five miles rather than the planned manual shut-offvalves every 20 miles, use of technology that minimizes the noisecreated by the Hancock Compressor Station, additional pipelineprotection at certain locations so large trucks can be driven overthe line, placement of the line away from residential and schoolareas in Wautoma, routing across farmland in a way that does notimpact irrigation or drainage, and giving property owners the rightto decide where the pipeline should be placed.