General Interest 2000 P

09/15/2000 -- EUROPEANS SEND MESSAGE ABOUT FUEL TAXES
Hardship is driving home a difficult point about excessive taxation in Europe, where oil consumers have taken to the streets over fuel prices. While cyclicality of market phenomena presents hope for relief, European officials must take the lesson and not institutionalize pain.
09/15/2000 -- Watching the World
Even before the 11 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries heads of delegation began to emerge, one by one, from their closed-door meeting on production increases in Vienna on Sept. 10, the world's brokers and analysts had already beaten them to the punch.
09/14/2000 -- Methanex seeks assurances before building Darwin plant
A cloud has appeared over a proposed gas-to-liquids methanol plant in Darwin, Australia, following the federal government�s assurances that LNG would not be subject to national greenhouse gas abatement measures.
09/14/2000 -- Market watch, Sept. 14
Brent crude oil futures slipped sharply yesterday on the International Petroleum Exchange in London following Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries conference Pres. Al�odr�ez Araque's assurance that the oil exporting organization could raise output by a further 2 million b/d if 'needed' by the market.
09/14/2000 -- Too much emphasis on deep water, says conference chair
A 3-day deepwater technology conference and workshop kicked off Wednesday in Houston with a warning that investors and large offshore producers may be putting too much emphasis on the deepwater frontier to the detriment of more conventional oil and gas operations around the globe.
09/13/2000 -- Drilling/Production news briefs, Sept. 13
Boots & Coots International Well Control � MOL � Vastar Resources � Aker Maritime � Karratha Spirit � Woodside Energy � Apache Energy � Santos � ADMA-OPCO � National Petroleum Construction
09/13/2000 -- Philippine refiners seek deferment of Clean Air Act
Refining companies in the Philippines have asked the government to defer the second phase of the Clean Air Act, slate to take effect in 2003. The firms, many of which have suffered deficits due to higher crude prices and lower margins in petroleum products markets, say they cannot afford to invest in new equipment to reduce the aromatics and benzene content in motor fuels, as mandated under the act.
09/13/2000 -- Processing news briefs, Sept. 13
Sunoco � Linde � Iran's National Petrochemical Co. � NARGAN � US Environmental Protection Agency � Rentech
09/13/2000 -- General Interest news briefs, Sept. 13
Iran, Russia to produce liquefied hydrogen; accident kills worker on Veslefrikk B platform.
09/13/2000 -- NERC urges Hastert to call up grid reliability bill
US consumers are exposed to increased risk of failure of the transmission grid as more demands are placed upon it, says Michael Gent, president of the North American Reliability Council, in a letter to US House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) urging the House to pass electric system reliability legislation before adjourning in October.
09/13/2000 -- Oil industry presence complicates Houston's potential air pollution solution
While the heavy concentration of processing plants in the Houston area is largely responsible for high levels of certain air pollutants in the city, the typical regulatory responses are likely to create other problems, such as fuel price volatility, or simply shift the problem elsewhere. So said panelists at a Houston roundtable last week, hosted by the University of Houston's Energy Institute (see related story, OGJ Online, Sept. 11, 2000).
09/13/2000 -- Market watch, Sept. 13
Energy futures prices declined in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange Tuesday. Benchmark light, sweet crude fell by 86� to settle at $34.28/bbl for October delivery, while the November contract stood at $33.42, down 80�.
09/12/2000 -- Sempra chairman wants customer refunds
Sempra Energy Chairman Stephen L. Baum called upon the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require refunds of so-called excessive charges for electricity charged to consumers during this summer's price spikes, especially in the San Diego area, during testimony Tuesday.
09/12/2000 -- Market watch, Sept. 12
International energy futures prices jumped Monday as traders concluded the 800,000 b/d production increase proposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which will start Oct. 1, is too late to help build heating oil inventories for this winter.
09/11/2000 -- Re-regulation not the answer in California, experts say
Don�t re-regulate. The California power markets can be fixed, executives from the California Independent System Operator and Enron Corp. testified at a congressional hearing on the California power markets in San Diego Monday.
09/11/2000 -- Reliant denies California allegations
A top Reliant Energy Inc. executive denied allegations of profiteering and megawatt laundering during congressional hearings Monday called to investigate the high cost of electricity in southern California. Vice-Pres. John Stout said the market has failed because of too much reliance on purchasing power on the spot market. Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) of San Diego requested the field hearing of the Commerce Committee�s Energy and Power Subcommittee.
09/11/2000 -- Market watch, Sept. 11
Energy futures prices likely will continue to decline today following a decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to increase its crude production by 800,000 b/d, or 3%, to 26.2 million b/d.
09/11/2000 -- Houston roundtable discusses global warming theories
A group of four panelists shared their insight on the possible presidential administrations of the two major-party candidates and how measures addressing potentially catastrophic climate change would impact the US economy during a Houston roundtable last week, hosted by the University of Houston's Energy Institute.
09/08/2000 -- GAO warns of automobile fuel economy-safety tradeoff
The US General Accounting Office has warned that a sudden tightening of federal fuel economy standards could jeopardize vehicle safety. The effect of increasing CAFE standards on vehicle safety is hard to quantify, however, because it depends on such variables as the amount of lead time given to manufacturers, the severity of the increase, and the strategies manufacturers use to achieve fuel economy gains.
09/08/2000 -- US Senate panel okays bill banning MTBE
The US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Thursday approved a bill banning methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from gasoline and mandating use of ethanol. The compromise bill would eliminate use of MTBE in reformulated gasoline (RFG) within 4 years or allow the Environmental Protection Agency to ban it sooner. State governors could waive the 2 wt % requirement for oxygen in RFG.

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General Interest 2000 P