Waning

The heat that spurred Tuesday’s price gains obviously was sufficient for only one day of bullishness. With some cooling trends approaching, and pressure from five straight preceding days of screen weakness, prices fell by double digits at all points Wednesday. Losses ranged from 15 cents to nearly 50 cents, and most points retreated further than they had advanced in Tuesday’s mini-rally.

In the waning hours of its spring session, the Illinois legislature last week agreed to impose a 5% sales tax on natural gas bought out-of-state as part of its budget and tax package aimed at curing the state government deficit. The measure will mainly impact manufacturers, but the legislators modified the governor’s proposal by including several exemptions.

In the waning hours of its spring session, the Illinois legislature earlier this week agreed to impose a 5% sales tax on natural gas bought out-of-state as part of its budget and tax package aimed at curing the state government deficit. The measure will mainly impact manufacturers, but the legislators modified the governor’s proposal by including several exemptions.

California’s governor plans to keep stirring the pot in the waning days of April, but he is realistic enough to know the pace of his energy initiatives won’t run any faster than the political wheels that turn in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. While he waits for state and federal legislative help, Gov. Gray Davis will focus on new generation this week, naming a “generation czar” to replace a loaned utility executive and continuing to try to mend political fences, according to his press spokesman.

In the waning day of the Clinton administration, Chairman FrankMurkowski (R-AK) and four other Republican members of the SenateEnergy and Natural Resources Committee have called on the presidentto refrain from enacting regulations that could put off limits evenmore federal lands for natural gas and oil producers. Such actionwould only aggravate the current gas price and supply crisis, theysaid.

The price roller coaster continued in the natural gas pit at theNew York Mercantile Exchange Thursday as traders went through themotions of checking the latest hurricane forecast and then tradedaccordingly. Yesterday that translated into selling, by trade andlocals alike, as they reduced their long exposure on the news thatDebby had weakened into a tropical wave.

The cash market turned in a decidedly mixed performance Monday.In general, quotes at many western points were up a nickel or so,while the East ranged from essentially flat to down as much as adime. A marketer had a simple explanation: “The West had a littlemore weather (cooling load) than the East did.” A screen drop of 2cents only had the barest negative influence on cash, sources said.

Despite predictions of waning gas supplies and worries over Gulfof Mexico production potential from some, several companies aretouting boom years for reserve replacement with some settingrecords. The strong reserve replacement came in a year when gasproduction is said to have seen only a modest increase of abouthalf a Bcf. Much of the good news for reserve replacement comesfrom oil and international operations, but domestic gas fared well,too, according to some company reports.