Town

Houston-based Pogo Producing Co. announced yesterday it willacquire cross-town rival Noric Corp. for $750 million in cash anddebt, upping its reserve base by 63% and increasing its projectedannual 2000 production by 35% — with most of the new assets innatural gas fields in Texas, Louisiana and the Rocky Mountains.Noric is the parent corporation of North Central Oil Corp.

Houston-based Dynegy Inc., setting itself up as possiblecompetition for its cross-town Houston marketer Enron, has launchedDynegydirect, a B2B trading site for energy and communicationscommodities, which will give customers self-service access to bidand offer prices across U.S. power, natural gas and natural gasliquids products. CEO Chuck Watson said the site would extend thecompany’s “global reach through customized electronic solutions.”

With the distraction of the Democratic Convention in town thisweek, Los Angeles elected officials face a critical vote today onthe city’s future strategy for remaining relatively energyindependent through its operation of the nation’s largest municipalelectric utility.

Coastal’s Empire State Pipeline and CNG Transmission Corp.jointly announced the start of service at a new interconnectionnear the town of Lysander, NY yesterday.

Last week a little town in Oregon adopted a web site as itsofficial name for a one-year trial basis. During the Christmasholidays, Wal-Mart sold a computer with Internet access for about$500, and couldn’t keep up with demand. Some are saying 80%-90% ofthe United States will be Internet-connected by next year.

Sempra Energy of San Diego, CA, will be the only game in town for gas distribution in Nova Scotia for at least 25 years now that it has the provincial government’s permission to build and operate the largest new North American gas distribution system of the last 30 years.

Sempra Energy of San Diego, CA, will be the only game in townfor gas distribution in Nova Scotia for at least 25 now that it hasthe provincial government’s permission to build and operate thelargest new North American gas distribution system of the last 30years.

United Cities Gas Co.’s two-inch diameter, 7.2 MMcf per hour gasline that connects with a town border station in Wytheville, VAexploded Sunday morning, destroying a house and business. No onewas killed in the accident, but 1,600 residents of Wytheville hadtheir heat cut off and some have not had it restored. The cause ofthe fire is still under investigation.

PG&ampE Gas Transmission Texas (PG&ampE GT-T), a subsidiary of PG&ampE Corp., and Southern Union Gas Co. said last week they will continue to fight a judgement awarding franchise fees from marketer sales to the City of Edinburg, TX (Pop. 29,885). They said they will appeal a judgment handed down in the 92nd district court in Hidalgo County, TX, even though the judge reduced the award under an August 1998 jury verdict.