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Tatham Offshore said yesterday that four of its subsidiaries,including Rigco North America LLC, FPS III, FPS V and FPS VI, whichown virtually all the company’s operating assets, filed for reliefunder Chapter 11 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the SouthernDistrict of Texas earlier this week.

No major headway was made in resolving the jurisdictionalchallenges associated with the proposed TriState Pipeline projectduring a FERC technical conference on Tuesday, according to a majorsponsor of the project.

The end of Georgia gas deregulation process is proving to be notonly eventful, but also confusing for customers. On Tuesday (Aug.10), the day before the market share of the 20 gas suppliers was tobe determined, 77,000 gas customers in the state switched fromAtlanta Gas Light (AGL) to one of 20 marketers, for fear of beingplaced on a random assignment list, which actually won’t be made upuntil Monday.

The Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) hasissued a final rule for determining royalties for natural gasproduced on Indian lands. Under the new rule, which was publishedin Tuesday’s Federal Register, Indian leases would have the optionto either direct producers to compute royalties on wellhead gasusing a published price index, continue using the existinggross-proceeds method for arms-length contracts, or use the currentMMS benchmark system for non-arms-length sales. If gas isprocessed, Indian tribes then could adopt a “dual accounting”method under which royalties would be based on whichever stage hasthe greater value for gas – before processing or after processing.In most cases, it’s the latter.

After years of having been plagued by low prices relative to theHenry Hub, Rocky Mountain producers appear to be well positioned tohelp meet the projected 30 Tcf gas market. Even when Canada isconsidered, less gas has been drawn from Rockies basins on apercentage of projected reserves basis than from other NorthAmerican producing regions, noted Thomas A. Petrie of PetrieParkman & Co.

Don’t put your duck tape and plywood away just yet. Althoughthere’s been a lull so far in the hurricane season, the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and renowned ColoradoState University forecaster Dr. William M. Gray both still arepredicting a whopper season this year in the North Atlantic andCaribbean Sea during the peak period from mid-August throughmid-October.

MCN Energy followed through as planned on the previously announcedsales of its Midcontinent/Gulf Coast exploration and production(E&P) properties and subsidiaries. Undisclosed privately heldcompanies paid about $105 million for the assets, which are primarilylocated in Texas and Oklahoma. Proceeds from the sales will helpstrengthen MCN’s balance sheet by reducing its debt. At year-end 1998,these Midcontinent/Gulf Coast assets represented 144 Bcfe of reserves,or 12% of the 1.2 Tcfe of proved reserves on MCN’s books. About 80% ofthe reserves sold were gas. MCN announced earlier in August that,consistent with its new regional, operating strategy, the company willretain its natural gas producing properties in Michigan (see Daily GPIAug. 3). Negotiations continue on theremaining Appalachian E&P package.

Cash prices built further Tuesday on their early-week gains invirtually every market except Northern California. Factors behindthe firmness remained much the same as on Monday: a moderate screenincrease, a “stash it while you can” storage mentality and agradual warming trend in northern market areas. Price movementranged from flat on several Rockies pipes to about a nickel higherat many Gulf Coast and Midcontinent points.

Supportive physical prices and concerns over supply tightnesstook center stage yesterday in the natural gas pit at Nymex andthat gave bulls the impetus to post the seventh straight priceadvance. The September contract finished up 2.7 cents at $2.748after notching both a higher high and a higher low for the session.Estimated volume was 77,940 contracts.