Turning

As shut-ins in the Gulf of Mexico continue to carve away available natural gas supplies for the winter, people are now turning their attention to exactly what type of winter the U.S. can expect. Depending on which forecasting organization you believe, some regions could be colder or warmer than normal.

Some top personal and political advisers to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are turning up as part of the public relations/lobbying team for one of the major proponents of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal along the state’s coast, Australian resources giant, BHP Billiton, according to a political analysis report in Monday’s San Francisco Chronicle.

Despite all the earlier talk about how mild the weather is turning, markets in the West and Midcontinent/Midwest regions were experiencing or expecting enough heating load to range from flat to up about a dime in most cases Thursday. Gulf Coast and Northeast points continued the previous day’s trend of mild softening, but with a few instances of flat numbers.

After rallying Wednesday because some areas would be turning colder by the weekend, prices seemed to be having second thoughts about the situation Thursday. The result was a cash market resembling the ones that ended last week and began this week: a mixture of moderately higher and lower numbers that was dominated by declines.

After opening lower in sympathy with weaker cash prices, the natural gas futures market worked its way back to unchanged Monday as traders groped for fair value amid contrasting weather outlooks.

A turning point has been passed on the “continental” North American market for natural gas, with Canadian supplies consistently marking a retreat while imports from overseas rapidly advance to fill the gap.

A turning point has been passed on the “continental” North American market for natural gas, with Canadian supplies consistently marking a retreat while imports from overseas rapidly advance to fill the gap.

Turning attention away from the subject of increased domestic natural gas production and increased imports for a change, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham last week launched the Department of Energy’s (DOE) public awareness campaign to educate businesses, homeowners and consumers on ways they can cut energy bills by practicing smart energy use.

Turning attention away from the subject of increased domestic natural gas production and increased imports for a change, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham on Wednesday launched the Department of Energy’s (DOE) public awareness campaign to educate businesses, homeowners and consumers on ways they can cut energy bills by practicing smart energy use.