The Oil Daily articles from November 2005

The Oil Daily archives from November 2005

Oil shares' upward trend disrupted in October.
November 2, 2005... Oil equities have benefited handsomely from the run-up in global crude prices, with ConocoPhillips, for example, watching its share value soar 35% this year. Unfortunately for investors, share values also suffer when oil prices come off...

All-Alaska pipe backers primed for fight.
November 2, 2005... A bitter fight is brewing over the route of the proposed gas pipeline from Alaska's North Slope to markets in the Lower 48 states, even as Gov. Frank Murkowski and the three North Slope producers appear to be making progress. On Tuesday,...

Share performance.(petroleum industry)(Statistical table)
November 2, 2005... Share Performance Top Oil & Gas Companies Company October YTD Petro-Canada -20.1% 27.1% Marathon -14.6 37.8 Chevron -13.4 7.9 Exxon Mobil -13.2 8.8...

Top execs to testify as windfall profits tax fizzles.
November 2, 2005... The top executives of Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and Shell Oil Co. are slated to testify at next week's Senate hearing on company profits and energy prices--a hearing that could fuel or quell the fury on Capitol Hill to put a leash on--or at...

Crude futures close up despite bearish sentiment.(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... For the time being, there appears to be a reversal of sentiment in the oil markets. Just one week ago, traders bid New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) crude futures up by more than $2 in a single session as the first blast of cold weather hit...

Daily oil & gas price review: prices for Tuesday, November 1, 2005.(Statistical table)
November 2, 2005... Daily Oil & Gas Price Review Prices for Tuesday, November 1, 2005 Crude Oil [GRAPHIC OMITTED] US Domestic Crudes ($/barrel) Cash/Spot Change Spot Price 5-Day Avg. Month-Ago WTS (Midland) ...

Refining projects in Middle East gather pace.
November 2, 2005... National oil companies of the Middle East are pushing ahead with a series of downstream projects, which stand to make up for a large chunk of increases in global refining capacity, according to a regional survey by Oil Daily. The US...

Spot crudes stronger as refiners refill storage tanks.
November 2, 2005... The US spot crude market firmed up this week on renewed buying interest as refiners took advantage of current low oil prices to refill their storage tanks. Crude is trading on contango on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), with the...

Strike takes Shell's plant down.(Royal Dutch-Shell Group of Cos)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... Strike action at Europe's largest refinery--Royal Dutch Shell's 412,000 b/d Pernis refinery in Rotterdam--looks more likely to boost regional gasoline supplies than cut them, at least in the medium term. Traders said Tuesday that a rally on the...

US drilling firm profits rise on greater global rig demand.
November 2, 2005... US drilling contractors posted huge increases in revenue and net income in the third quarter, thanks to much higher world demand for drilling rigs and the dayrates oil companies are willing to pay for them. Houston-based Rowan on Tuesday...

Chesapeake kicks off Fayetteville shale drilling program.
November 2, 2005... Chesapeake Energy has launched a six-well drilling program to test a large acreage position it holds in the Fayetteville Shale gas play in Arkansas. The Oklahoma City-based independent revealed on Tuesday that it had recently increased its...

Electricity boosts Transcanada Q3.
November 2, 2005... Natural gas pipelines still constitute the largest and most profitable operating segment for TransCanada, but analysts appeared to be more interested in its rapidly growing electricity sector during a conference call with TransCanada's...

Entergy sees post-storm profits.(Earnings)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... Utility firm Entergy on Tuesday posted a 24% increase in third-quarter earnings despite significant hurricane-related damage that caused one business unit to file for bankruptcy. However, Howthe company said it could not affirm its 2005...

BJ Services Q4 earnings rise.(Earnings)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... Oil field services company BJ Services on Tuesday reported higher fiscal fourth-quarter profit as record-high energy prices spurred increased spending in oil and gas production. The Houston-based company posted net income of $134.3 million,...

Valero L.P. Q3 rises.(Earnings)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... Pipeline operator Valero L.P. reported that third-quarter net income rose to $41.3 million (88 cents/unit) from $17.9 million (78 cents/unit) during the same period in the previous year. The figures included $4.4 million from discontinued...

Gulf output recovering slowly.(Exploration & Production)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... US Gulf oil and natural gas output is recovering slowly from the wrath of recent major hurricanes, according to a report from the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) on Tuesday. Slightly less than 67% of US Gulf crude output, or about 1...

Court tosses Dynegy verdict.(Litigation)
November 2, 2005... A federal appellate court has overturned a 292-month jail sentence for a former Dynegy lawyer and accountant, saying a lower court overstated the losses he caused. The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said in an opinion posted on...

US LNG imports fall in August.(Natural Gas)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... US imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fell sharply in August from both the previous month and year-ago levels, according to a report from the Energy Information Agency. August US LNG receipts totaled about 43.63 Bcf, a 17.9% decline...

Stock market scorecard.(NEWS ALERT)(Statistical table)
November 2, 2005... Stock Market Scorecard Integrated Close 1-Day Majors 11/1 Chg. % Chg. Murphy Oil 47.56 +0.71 +1.52% Kerr-McGee 86.25 +1.21 +1.42 ConocoPhillips ...

Kerr-McGee sells onshore assets.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... Kerr-McGee said it expects to receive gross proceeds of around $510 million from the sale of some US onshore oil and gas properties in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado and Wyoming. The Oklahoma City-based independent said it has reached...

ATP buys gulf properties.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(ATP Oil and Gas Corp. announced a $40 million land deal with a privately held company for Gulf of Mexico)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... Houston-based ATP Oil & Gas on Tuesday announced a $40 million land deal with a privately held company for Gulf of Mexico shelf properties that are producing about 25 million cubic feet equivalent per day. ATP Senior Vice President Gerald...

Chalmette back by mid-November.(Refining)(Joint venture between Exxon Mobil and Petroleos de Venezuela (PDV), is expected to reach full production.)
November 2, 2005... Chalmette Refining, a joint venture between Exxon Mobil and Petroleos de Venezuela (PDV), is expected to reach full production at its 187,200 b/d refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, by mid-November, Exxon said Tuesday. The refinery has been...

Valero cuts refinery runs.(Refining)(Valero Energy Corp.)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... Valero Energy reported run cuts at its Houston refinery late Monday, following a compressor problem, the company said in reports filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. A loss of pressure in the high-pressure steam system...

US margins plummet 32%.(Refining)(Brief article)
November 2, 2005... US refining margins plummeted 32% last week, according to analysts at AG Edwards. US margins averaged $9.42 per barrel for the week ended Oct. 28 versus $13.84/bbl the prior week. Margins are down 73% from their peak of $34.82/bbl during the...

Senate again favors ANWR drilling.(Arctic National Wild Refuge (ANWR))
November 4, 2005... Drilling proponents held their ground on the Senate floor Thursday when the chamber voted to keep a proposal allowing oil and gas leasing in a portion of the Arctic National Wild Refuge (ANWR). The Republican-driven victory came after a...

Refiners report hefty earnings; look to expand.(Sales and earnings of petroleum industry)
November 4, 2005... More independent refiners announced third-quarter earnings Thursday--and they all reported that they are doing pretty well. Not only were earnings extremely robust for the quarter, they shattered earnings reported last year at this time, thanks...

State royalties rise 36% in '05.(oil and gas leases)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Thanks to higher energy prices, US states received a record $1.7 billion in shared royalties from the federal government for crude oil, natural gas, coal and mineral production during the federal government's 2005 fiscal year, the Interior...

Calpine posts Q3 loss.(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Independent power producer Calpine on Thursday reported a net loss in the third quarter as costs and charges offset stronger demand for electricity. Calpine's third-quarter net loss was $216.7 million, or 45 cents/share, versus a profit of...

Nymex crude futures climb again, but fail to break new ground.( New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex))(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... After closing for three trading days at just below $60 per barrel, the December contract for US light, sweet crude futures saw strong buying Thursday afternoon and climbed $2.03 to end at $61.78/bbl. But traders cautioned that the market is not...

Daily oil & gas price review: prices for Thursday, November 3, 2005.(Table)
November 4, 2005... Daily Oil & Gas Price Review Prices for Thursday, November 3, 2005 Crude Oil [GRAPHIC OMITTED] US Domestic Crudes ($/barrel) Cash/Spot Change Spot Price 5-Day Avg. Month-Ago WTS (Midland) ...

Dayrates jump for GlobalSantaFe; driller posts higher profits.(Oil drilling rigs)
November 4, 2005... The incredible turnaround in the offshore drilling market looks set to continue through the end of the decade. Following Wednesday's big, nearly $1 billion rig contract announcement by offshore driller Transocean, rival GlobalSantaFe said...

Pioneer probes new coalbed methane plays in US and Canada.(Pioneer Natural Resources Co.)
November 4, 2005... Pioneer Natural Resources plans to start testing a trio of new coalbed methane plays in the US and Canada over the next few months that could add to the volumes produced by its established coalbed methane operations in southeast Colorado's...

US LNG imports dip.(Liquefied natural gas )(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... US imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) stood at 52 Bcf during the month of September, down from year-ago levels of 57 Bcf, according to data from the US Department of Energy (DOE). Suez LNG's Everett, Massachusetts, terminal ranked first...

Summit of the Americas has little to offer in oil, gas.
November 4, 2005... Far from its original design to deepen free trade in the Americas, the fourth Summit of the Americas that starts today promises to be a mere show of strength between the squabbling presidents of the US and oil-rich Venezuela over the extent of...

Shell told to tighten management of big upstream projects.
November 4, 2005... Royal Dutch Shell's management of upstream projects suffers from a "hands-off" approach that cedes too much responsibility to contractors in key areas such as cost control and scheduling, Shell project managers have been told. The...

Hurricanes damage Q3 earnings for Canada's Enbridge.
November 4, 2005... Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge took a hit from two Gulf of Mexico hurricanes that disrupted operations on several gas pipeline systems and reduced third-quarter income by C$10 million (US$8.5 million), the company said Thursday. Earnings...

Amnesty report slams big oil for collusion in Niger Delta.
November 4, 2005... Ten years after the execution of Nigerian writer and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight fellow activists, a report released Thursday by Amnesty International claims to contain new evidence that the poverty-stricken communities...

Williams reports lower Q3 earnings, raises '05 outlook.(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Natural gas producer and pipeline company Williams Cos. on Thursday posted lower quarterly net profit but raised its profit forecast for full-year 2005 and the next two years. Soaring natural gas prices boosted third-quarter profits at its...

Profits dip for power producers Duke, Sempra, dominion.(Duke Energy North America (DENA))
November 4, 2005... While US oil companies posted record profits for the third quarter, independent power generators were less fortunate as hurricane damages, higher fuel costs and the final winding down of the once-prominent merchant energy sector took a toll on...

Kinder Morgan prices IPO.(TCorporate News)(Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P.)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMEP) has priced a public offering of 2.6 million common units representing limited partner interests at $51.75/unit, the company said Thursday. KMEP has granted the underwriter, Morgan Stanley, an option to...

Gulf output, refining recovering.(Exploration & Production)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... The recovery of crude oil production and refining from the storm-battered Gulf of Mexico made significant headway on Thursday, a report from the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) showed. Some 52.71%, or about 791,000 b/d, of the Gulf's...

Challenger joins mariner project.(Exploration & Production)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Calgary-based Challenger Energy has announced it will be working with Canadian Superior Energy in developing the Mariner block off the coast of Nova Scotia. A spokesman for Challenger Energy said an independent report on the Marine block...

Repsol buys BP Trinidad assets.(BP Trinidad and Tobago L.L.C.)(Repsol YPF S.A. (Madrid, Spain))(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Spanish oil major Repsol YPF may invest up to $500 million in three oil fields and a gas field bought from BP Trinidad and Tobago (BPTT) for $229 million, a Repsol official said. Repsol and BPTT, which is majority-owned by BP, signed the...

Gas in storage rises 29 Bcf.(EIA Gas Storage Report)(Table)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Stocks of working natural gas in US storage facilities rose 29 Bcf for the week ended Oct. 28, leaving storage levels at 3,168 Bcf, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Stocks are 119 Bcf lower than last year this time....

Stock market scorecard.(oil industry)(Table)
November 4, 2005... Stock Market Scorecard Integrated Close 1-Day Majors 11/3 Chg. % Chg. Statoil 23.92 +0.86 +3.73 Marathon 63.13 +1.59 +2.58 Total ...

FERC OKs gas storage site.(Natural Gas)(United States. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a natural gas storage project planned by Hardy Storage Co. Under the project, Hardy Storage will convert an existing natural gas production field in Hardy and Hampshire counties, West...

Coal gas moves forward.(Natural Gas)(Peabody Energy Corp. contracts with ArcLight Capital Partners L.L.C.)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal producer, signed an agreement Wednesday with equity investor ArcLight Capital Partners to advance a coal-to-natural gas plant that will use ConocoPhillips' advanced gasification technology, called E-Gas....

Conoco joins keystone pipeline.(TransCanada Corp.)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... ConocoPhillips has signed an agreement Thursday to take capacity on TransCanada's proposed Keystone oil pipeline. The Houston-based oil major also has the option to take up to a 50% stake in the oil pipeline as part of the deal. An open...

Chevron announces job cuts.(Personnel)(Brief article)
November 4, 2005... California-based US major Chevron said Thursday it has identified 550 jobs to be eliminated after its $17.3 billion acquisition of independent oil and gas producer Unocal this past summer (OD Aug.11,p1). In a quarterly report with...

Oil execs in senate hotseat this week.(United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources)
November 7, 2005... Top executives of five major integrated oil companies-Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Chevron and ConocoPhillips-will testify at a Senate hearing Wednesday, where they will be grilled on high energy prices and oil companies' record-high...

Chile-Peru border disputes threaten gas talks.(Lagos Escobar, Ricardo)
November 7, 2005... Peru's decision last week to redraw their maritime boundary with neighboring Chile sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two Andean countries that could seriously hamper efforts to develop a bilateral gas trade exchange between the two...

Companies enter bids for Refco's futures units.
November 7, 2005... The fight for Refco's futures brokerage units entered a new phase on Friday as interested companies submitted their final bids. The auction is to be held Nov. 9, and Refco will seek court approval of the winner starting Nov. 10. At least...

Crude finishes week down, still has support at $60/bbl.(Intercontinental Exchange increases crude oil prises)
November 7, 2005... Rarely have crude oil futures prices been congested like they are now. Although oil futures did recently drift lower and settle at just under $60 per barrel, they failed to drop to the mid-$50s/bbl range, as many market players had...

Daily oil & gas price review: prices for Friday, November 4, 2005.(Statistical data)
November 7, 2005... Daily Oil & Gas Price Review Prices for Friday, November 4, 2005 Crude Oil [GRAPHIC OMITTED] US Domestic Crudes ($/barrel) Cash/Spot Change Spot Price 5-Day Avg. Month-Ago WTS (Midland) -1.05 ...

Futures, cash see marked downdraft as loads lighten with temperatures.
November 7, 2005... A combination of forecasted mild weather, rising price-induced demand destruction and swelling storage inventories means gas market bulls are having trouble finding solid ground to stand on at the moment. Factoring in a strong possibility of...

US rig count rises by 16.(Baker Hughes Drilling Report)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... The number of rigs searching for oil and gas in the US rose by 16 to 1,496 last week, oil services firm Baker Hughes said Friday. During the same week last year, there were 1,268 rigs at work. The number of rigs searching for oil in the US...

Is ConocoPhillips playing one pipeline against another?(Surmont oil)(ConocoPhillips)
November 7, 2005... ConocoPhillips is engaged in some interesting tactics in lining up oil pipeline capacity to move planned production from the Surmont oil sands project in Alberta to its refineries. The company has committed to varying levels of capacity in...

BP's Browne sees partnerships with state oil firms as vital.(Browne, John)(Sinopec got recently privatised as China Petroleum and Chemical Corp.)
November 7, 2005... Oil prices at $60 per barrel are not sustainable as supplies rise and the world looks for cheaper energy sources to wean itself off the costly fuel, BP Chief Executive John Browne said Friday, according to Reuters. Browne also said BP...

Biodiesel player looks ahead to bright, if unclear, future.
November 7, 2005... Although this year's calamitous hurricane season is coming to a close and oil prices are receding from record highs, talk of diversifying energy sources has yet to die down. Many in the renewable energy sector have grown particularly upbeat,...

Noble off to good start with Equatorial Guinea discovery.
November 7, 2005... Noble Energy CEO Chuck Davidson is clearly delighted with the Belinda gas discovery, the result of the first exploratory well drilled by the company on Block O offshore Equatorial Guinea. Noble announced the shallow-water discovery last...

Duke files for Canada trust.(Corporate News)(initial public offering)(Duke Energy Corp.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... Duke Energy is launching an initial public offering (IPO) for an income trust that will operate its Canadian natural gas gathering and processing assets, the US power and pipeline company said Friday. The new Duke Energy Income Fund, the...

Fitch downgrades Calpine.(Corporate News)(Fitch Inc.)(Calpine Corp.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... Fitch Ratings on Friday cut its ratings on Calpine deeper into junk territory, citing deterioration in the company's earnings, slow progress in reducing debt and bondholder litigation. For the first nine months of 2005, Calpine's operating...

Canadian gas storage.(NEWS ALERT)(Natural gas storage)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
November 7, 2005... Enerdata reported that the amount of natural gas in Canadian storage facilities fell 0.3 Bcf to 497.5 Bcf for the week ended Oct. 28. Storage caverns are 93.3% full, down from 93.4% the previous week and down from 97.8% a year ago. (Bcf)...

Repsol earnings climb.(Earnings)(Repsol YPF S.A. (Madrid, Spain))(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... Spain's Repsol YPF on Friday reported net income for the third quarter of 934 million [euro] ($1.1 billion), up 22% from 767 million [euro] in the same quarter last year, and slightly ahead of market expectations. Operating income from...

Total Q3 rises 30%.(Earnings)(TOTAL S.A.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... France's Total on Friday reported adjusted net income for the third quarter of 3.13 billion [euro] ($3.7 billion), up 32% from 2.36 billion [euro] a year earlier, and in line with market expectations. Operating income from exploration and...

Stock market scorecard.(NEWS ALERT)(Statistical data)
November 7, 2005... Stock Market Scorecard Integrated Close 1-Day Majors 4-Nov Chg. % Chg. Exxon Mobil 57.90 -0.67 -1.14% Shell-A 61.56 -0.86 -1.38 Shell-B 64.98 -0.99 ...

Ruling gives Exxon Q4 bonus.(Litigation)(Exxon Mobil Corp.)(Saudi Basic Industries Corp.)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... Exxon Mobil said Friday it will recognize a $390 million after-tax benefit in the fourth quarter, after the US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) in a dispute over a licensing agreements and a joint...

Group opposes US gas reserve.(Natural Gas)(Industrial Energy Consumers of America)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... A group representing energy-consuming industries is opposing a proposal being considered by the Bush administration to set up a Strategic Natural Gas Reserve, supporting instead the development of commercial natural gas storage. Establishing a...

El Paso, Enogex sign deal.(Natural Gas)(El Paso Energy Corp. sign a deal with Enogex Inc. to lay down gas pipelines)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... El Paso and Enogex announced Friday they have signed a letter of intent regarding El Paso's Continental Connector pipeline project. In a joint statement, the two companies said the letter of intent provides for a lease of up to 750,000...

Speculators build net shorts.(Oil & Gas Markets)(New York Mercantile Exchange)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... Crude oil speculators on the New York Mercantile Exchange boosted net short positions in the week ended Nov. 1 in a bet that prices would slip, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said Friday. Noncommercial crude oil speculators...

Patterson-UTI names new CFO.(Personnel)(Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. appoints new Chief financial officers)(Brief article)
November 7, 2005... Patterson-UTI Energy said Thursday that John Vollmer, senior vice president of corporate development, will also take on the post of chief financial officer for this onshore oil and gas drilling company. Vollmer replaces Jonathan Nelson, who...

Oil demand growth unsustainable, IEA says.(International Energy Agency (IEA))
November 8, 2005... The International Energy Agency (IEA) rang alarm bells Monday with the release of its World Energy Outlook, saying that the pace of oil demand growth is not sustainable. High prices have slashed oil demand growth projections but the world is...

EnCana plans major oil sands expansion.
November 8, 2005... EnCana became the latest company to outline plans for a major expansion of its Canadian oil sands production on Monday. It also disclosed that it is talking to a wide range of companies about possible oil sands partnerships. The...

Canadian Natural Resources shares gain on oil sands interest.
November 8, 2005... Despite posting a more-than 50% decrease in third-quarter earnings last week, Canadian Natural Resources was one of the largest companies to post gains in last week's John S. Herold survey of energy company stock prices. During its...

Crude settles below $60/bbl as warm weather blankets Northeast.(New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex))(Brief article)
November 8, 2005... The continuing spell of warm weather in the US Northeast dragged down crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) on Monday. And as long as the unseasonably high temperatures remain in and around New York City, the mood is...

Daily oil & gas price review prices for Monday, November 7, 2005.(Statistical table)
November 8, 2005... Daily Oil & Gas Price Review Prices for Monday, November 7, 2005 Crude Oil [GRAPHIC OMITTED] US Domestic Crudes ($/barrel) Cash/Spot Change Spot Price 5-Day Avg. Month-Ago WTS (Midland) -1.16 ...

Growing pension liabilities threaten Pemex bottom line.(Petroleos Mexicanos)
November 8, 2005... Mexican state oil company Pemex reported stable operating costs for the third-quarter this year, but also experienced a steep increase in its administration costs, fuelled by the company's growing retirement pension liabilities. Pemex...

Chevron starts work on Tahiti.(Brief article)
November 8, 2005... Chevron has started work on one of its so-called "Big 5" projects, announcing Monday that construction has begun on the Tahiti floating production facility. Located in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico's Green Canyon area, the Tahiti discovery well...

Heating degree days: for the week of Nov. 5, 2005.(statistical table)(Statistical table)
November 8, 2005... Heating Degree Days For the week of Nov. 5, 2005 Week Dev From Week From Year Cum State/City (PADD) Total Norm...

Iraq struggles to keep up southern port export volumes.(statistical table)(Statistical table)
November 8, 2005... Iraqi authorities are struggling to raise oil export volumes this month after disappointing October sales. According to data from shipping agents, 33 tankers have been scheduled to lift 50.5 million barrels of Basrah Light crude, or 1.68...

buys fertilizer plant.(Rentech Inc buys Royster-Clark Nitrogen)(Brief article)
November 8, 2005... Efforts to develop a coal-based fertilizer and liquid-fuels industry in the US took another step forward Monday as technology developer Rentech signed a definitive agreement to acquire Royster-Clark Nitrogen, owner of an 830-ton/day nitrogen...

Alaska Gov. offers tax breaks.(Top Briefs)(Brief article)
November 8, 2005... Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski drew more fire late last week after proposing to change Alaska's oil tax structure as part of his bid to get major North Slope oil producers to build a natural gas pipeline to Canada. In a column written by Murkowski...

Total, Chevron sign for pipe.(Chevron Global Gas and Total Gas & Power North America)(Brief article)
November 8, 2005... Chevron Global Gas and Total Gas & Power North America have signed 20-year binding agreements to take 100% of the initial capacity from a new natural gas pipeline system that is being proposed by Kinder Morgan in Louisiana. The $490 million...

Moody's ups Conoco rating.(Moody's Investors Service)(ConocoPhillips)(Brief article)
November 8, 2005... Moody's Investors Service on Monday raised its ratings on ConocoPhillips, citing the company's growth since the merger of Conoco and Phillips Petroleum in 2002. The company's "upstream scale and geographic diversification, and its refining...