Warn

Current and former officials in the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) warn that companies hoping to build an ethane cracker in the state could have difficulty getting the necessary permits if they choose to build in areas that don’t meet federal air quality standards.

A fountain of gas and oilfield fluid that left a dark streak on a central Alberta snowbank has prompted provincial authorities to warn industry against staining its record with hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology imported from the United States.

A former El Paso Corp. energy trader and a ex-Dynegy Inc. trader will be tried separately early next year on charges of reporting bogus energy data to an industry publication. A Houston judge set the first trial for Jan. 12, with the second trial scheduled to immediately follow.

Exploration and production companies warned Alaska state officials at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce last week that stricter regulations and possibly higher taxes could threaten many producers’ exploration and production plans. Their comments precede a legislative special session scheduled this week to work on a proposed fiscal plan to offset state deficits.

Exploration and production companies have warned Alaska state officials at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce this week that stricter regulations and possibly higher taxes could threaten many producers’ exploration and production plans. Their comments precede a legislative special session next week to work on a proposed fiscal plan to offset state deficits.

Oil services companies Tidewater Inc. and Halliburton Co. both warned Thursday that their previous quarter’s financial results will be below analysts’ earning expectations. Tidewater partially blamed a continued weakness in Gulf of Mexico (GOM) offshore drilling, while Halliburton cited legal costs and poor results from some joint ventures.

A senior economist at the DC Public Service Commission (PSC) warned in a special assessment last week that expensive stored gas this summer probably will mean much higher gas prices for consumers this winter. In addition, the summer and the hurricane season may have more surprises in store.

Borrowing from Mark Twain in summing up the current wholesale natural gas market and where it is headed, DC Public Service Commission’s (PSC) Dr. Jeffrey V. Conopask, quoted, “Predicting is pretty risky business, especially about the future.” He said he believes wholesale prices for the 2003-2004 heating season “continue to suggest that natural gas expenses will be higher for consumers than those of the most recent winter.”

High natural gas prices have forced a number of sugar beet plant closures and may force the shut down of the entire sugar beet industry in Wyoming despite the abnormally low gas prices there relative to the rest of the country, according to testimony for a hearing on gas supply last week in front of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.