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The natural gas industry needs to spend more time targeting members of Congress who aren’t traditionally viewed as energy-friendly, said a top staff member for Oklahoma Democrat Rep. Dan. Boren Thursday.

The natural gas industry needs to spend more time targeting members of Congress who aren’t traditionally viewed as energy-friendly, said a top staff member for Oklahoma Democrat Rep. Dan. Boren Thursday.

Natural gas now rules the oil patch in Texas, thanks to rising prices. Long viewed as the “oil patch,” a new study by the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers found that the dollar value of state gas production is actually three times as large as that of crude.

Natural gas futures tumbled lower Thursday in what one trader described as an “orderly price rout.” After vacillating wildly in the 10 minutes after the storage report was released (featuring a 11 Bcf injection), the market paused in the low $4.30s and then proceeded to fall 23.3 cents on the day to $4.156, December’s lowest close in three weeks.

While power outages were still viewed as an inevitability thissummer in California, a comprehensive legislative, regulatory andcommercial solution to mounting energy debts was less certain lastweek as reports surfaced that creditors might force bankruptcy onthe state’s two ailing utilities.

While power outages were still viewed as an inevitability thissummer in California, a comprehensive legislative, regulatory andcommercial solution to mounting energy debts was less certain lastweek as reports surfaced that creditors might force bankruptcy onthe state’s two ailing utilities.

Oklahoma producers are eyeing the pending purchase of Shellsubsidiary Transok by OGE Energy subsidiary Enogex with cautiouslyoptimistic eyes. While the sale would double Enogex’s pipelineholdings, it’s not clear to Oklahoma market participants whateffect the deal will have on competition.

Oklahoma producers are eyeing the pending purchase of Shell subsidiary Transok by OGE Energy subsidiary Enogex with cautiously optimistic eyes. While the sale would double Enogex’s pipeline holdings, it’s not clear to Oklahoma market participants what effect the deal will have on competition.

Fanning the flames of the convergence-consolidation bonfire,Dominion Resources (DRI) last week announced two plannedacquisitions that would add both wellheads and burner tips, not tomention assets in between.