Willing

Even with the downturn in commodity markets, exploration and production (E&P) companies appear “more than willing” to continue investing this year in the drillbit and in acquisitions, according to an informal survey by Raymond James & Associates energy analysts.

Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Alaska on Friday said it was willing to forego lease sales in the environmentally sensitive Teshekpuk Lake area of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA) if a federal judge would allow the remainder of the scheduled lease sale in the northeast corner of the reserve to proceed.

Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Alaska on Friday said it was willing to forego lease sales in the environmentally sensitive Teshekpuk Lake area of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA) if a federal judge would allow the remainder of the scheduled lease sale in the northeast corner of the reserve to proceed.

Sponsors of the Weaver’s Cove LNG project say the tactic used last summer by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) to block their project was creative but won’t prevent them from building the LNG import terminal on the Taunton River.

FERC would be willing to consider requests filed at the Commission for cost recovery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina if such filings are jurisdictional to the federal agency, FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher said last Tuesday.

Although no one is willing to bet on its becoming law, the legislative proposal to rescue Southern California Edison Co. Friday was rested in place at a state Assembly appropriations committee, which will resume making technical amendments to it Tuesday after Labor Day. A vote by the full lower house of the legislature could come late Tuesday or Wednesday.

Union Gas launched an open season for up to 6.5 Bcf of long-term working storage capacity and said it was willing to consider expanding if market demand is sufficient. The storage space available in the open season is for periods of three years or greater with injections beginning in April 2002. Bids are due July 31 and the capacity will be awarded by Aug. 31.

Union Gas launched an open season for up to 6.5 Bcf of long-term working storage capacity and said it was willing to consider expanding if market demand is sufficient. The storage space available in the open season is for periods of three years or greater with injections beginning in April 2002. Bids are due July 31 and the capacity will be awarded by Aug. 31.

El Paso Natural Gas “is willing to expand its system” to the California border if “sufficient support” for such a project can be demonstrated through long-term capacity contracts, the pipeline told FERC last week.