General Interest 2000 P

12/01/2000 -- Bighorn to gather Wyoming coalbed methane
Bighorn Gas Gathering LLC, Tulsa, has signed multiple-year agreements with Prima Oil & Gas Co., a subsidiary of Denver-based Prima Energy Corp., to provide natural gas gathering services for Prima's coalbed methane gas production on 10,000 acres in Wyoming.
12/01/2000 -- Interest groups struggle over electricity business standards
Interest groups appeared as far apart as ever on the question of setting national standards for electricity transactions during a meeting in Dallas on harmonizing business practices. A consumer advocate questioned the need for national standards, while a group representing businesses with operations in multiple states argued for them.
12/01/2000 -- THE CONGRESSIONAL VOTE AND POPULAR MYTHOLOGY
In a democracy, election outcomes are presumed to express the collective will of the electorate. Political interpretation should follow this assumption.
12/01/2000 -- Ceiling for natural gas prices nowhere in sight
Is there a ceiling in sight for US natural gas prices this winter?
12/01/2000 -- Green politics in a harsh climate
Any legally binding international agreement on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was last week in danger of being scuppered completely by political infighting as the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP6) in The Hague wound up.
11/30/2000 -- STAR program launches new partnership
The EPA is expanding its volunteer STAR program to promote cost-effective management practices that could reduce more than 70%�as much as 25 bcf�of the natural gas annually lost by the gathering and processing segment of the industry.
11/30/2000 -- Enterprise to explore off Morocco
UK independent Enterprise Oil PLC today announced it had finalized a petroleum agreement for 6 exploration permits offshore Morocco collectively known as the Cap Draa Haute Mer area. Cap Draa, covering approximately 12,000 sq. km, lies off the Atlantic coast of Morocco in water depths of up to 2,000 m.
11/30/2000 -- Shell urges business to participate in greenhouse gas discussions
Gerard Matthews, policy development advisor to Shell Oil Co., said business made a mistake being late to the greenhouse gas emissions discussion. 'Whatever gets set up we must be able to live with it,' he said. 'We were late. Our biggest fear is the discussions will result in command and control policies. That is just another advert for business to hurry up.'
11/29/2000 -- Nova Chemicals to close polystyrene plant
Nova Chemicals Corp., Calgary, says it will close a polystyrene plant at Joliet, Ill., early in 2001 because of high costs and low profits there. The company said it plans to write off non-productive assets at several locations and will take an after-tax charge of about $68 million (US) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000.
11/29/2000 -- Market watch, Nov. 29
World energy futures plummeted Tuesday amid new predictions of warmer weather for both the United States and Europe next week, and reassurances from Iraq that it does not intend to disrupt exports under its oil-for-food program.
11/29/2000 -- Thaw seen for US-Iranian relations
Diplomatic relations between Iran and the US are expected to thaw as US trade sanctions and other barriers to business between the countries are eliminated. But business relations remain tricky for Western companies seeking to trade with Iran.
11/28/2000 -- Aquila deal still in works, CEO says
UtiliCorp United Inc. by 'yearend will be announcing something' with respect to its plans for the future of trading subsidiary Aquila Energy, CEO Richard C. Green Jr. said Tuesday at Arthur Andersen's annual energy symposium. Aquila has been openly looking to combine its trading and marketing expertise with generation assets from another company and spin the resulting entity off to the public and to shareholders.
11/28/2000 -- Vanco, Lasmo to explore Moroccan permits
Vanco Energy Co. and Lasmo PLC signed exploration permits with the Moroccan national oil company ONAREP on Friday. The agreements convert two existing permits from reconnaissance to exploration permits. The reconnaissance permits, issued in 1998, were intended to explore the Essaouira basin off Morocco.
11/28/2000 -- Finance/Companies news briefs, Nov. 28
Crown Central Petroleum � PYR Energy � Infinity
11/28/2000 -- Solutia starts up new acrylonitrile plant
Solutia Inc. says its newest acrylonitrile plant is the largest in the world, with 1 billion lb of capacity. Solutia announced the facility's startup Monday. The plant is in the Chocolate Bayou location in Alvin, Tex. The plant's output will be used to supply Solutia's internal business and sold on the acrylonitrile marketplace.
11/28/2000 -- Market watch, Nov. 28
Energy future markets softened Monday because of profit taking and above-normal temperatures in the key US Northeast and Midwest markets. Some analysts said the decline might have been sharper if not for the threat of a strike among oilfield workers in Nigeria and continued wrangling between Iraq and United Nations officials.
11/27/2000 -- Electric Power news briefs, November 27
NRG Energy � Duke Energy �AES Corp. � Southern Co.
11/27/2000 -- Gas prices soar to $20/ Mcf in California
Energy Information Administration said natural gas prices spiked into the teens in California and colder temperatures sent prices up $1.00/ Mcf to well over $6.00/ Mcf last week in most other locations. The December NYMEX futures contract gained around 15� to 17� each day ending at a near record settlement price high of $6.57. Huge withdrawals from storage told most of this story. The American Gas Association estimated that withdrawal of gas topped 94 bcf for the week ended Nov. 17.
11/27/2000 -- Market watch, Nov. 27
Futures prices for North Sea Brent crude dipped Friday on the International Petroleum Exchange, ending what analysts described as a week of quiet and mostly range-bound trading. The oil market appears technically and fundamentally firm above $33/bbl, with forecasts of severe weather in US markets buoying oil prices, analysts said.
11/27/2000 -- Naimi says target oil price is $25/bbl
Saudi Arabian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali I. Naimi said producing nations will maintain the recent relative stability of oil prices. Naimi, speaking after an Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries ministerial meeting in Cairo, said the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will keep oil prices in the range of $22-$28/bbl. He added that $25/bbl was the target.

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