Visitors

An Atlantic City, NJ, shuttle bus service used by residents and millions of visitors annually has signed a contract to have Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. build and operate a fast-fill compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Egg Harbor Township.

The Florida Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, which has long opposed offshore drilling, conditionally endorsed federal and state policies allowing the production of oil and natural gas from existing leases within the Gulf of Mexico at least 30 miles from the Florida coastline. The conditions include: Florida offshore drilling must be a component of a comprehensive energy policy; production facilities must incorporate the most advanced zero-discharge systems; Congress must allow for sharing of royalties between states and the federal government; a five-year moratorium on new leases in the eastern Gulf must be established so state officials can evaluate production safety and evaluate any impact on Florida’s natural resources; and the military mission of the Defense Department shall have the first priority in the Gulf offshore.

FERC staff intentionally avoided responding to technicalquestions about the proposed auction concept that were submitted byseveral gas industry groups prior to a workshop held earlier thisweek, a pipeline group representative charged.