Top News
FERC's outgoing LaFleur ponders changes she would make as 'Queen of the World'
In a wide-ranging interview, departing Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member and former Chairman Cheryl LaFleur discussed how much things have changed since she arrived in July 2010, including the way the press covers the agency and an increase in votes along partisan lines.
Appalachian drillers' bond prices crumbling as credit markets grow wary
Already suffering from declining stock prices, Appalachia's shale gas drillers are now watching their bond prices fall sharply. The drop may signal a credit-worthiness crisis that worries Wall Street analysts and could impact the ability of some drillers to borrow against their bank-determined lines of credit or refinance their debt.
Illinois Basin coal output stabilizes YOY despite declining export market
Illinois Basin coal production among the top 25 producers was flat in the second quarter from the year-ago period despite low export thermal coal prices and logistical issues that plagued exporters in the region.
Oil majors' Permian plans could lead to consolidation among independents
With Permian crude oil production expected to more than double by 2022, plans by the biggest North American oil companies to scale their operations in the region pose challenges to independent operators in the region, potentially making them acquisition targets if they are unable to pivot from domestic to international markets.
Quoted
"I don't think the votes are political in the sense that someone is calling and dictating votes, but the disputes reflect party differences and give the commission a more partisan cast," departing FERC member and former Chairman Cheryl LaFleur said on the increasing politicization of FERC's decision-making.
Power
* The Conservation Law Foundation has filed a lawsuit against Eversource Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to halt the scheduled construction of a 13-mile undersea transmission line off the coast of New Hampshire.
* As proposals for solar-plus-storage and other hybrid power plants surge in the United States, the California ISO, whose transmission system is in the epicenter of the trend, has launched a new initiative aimed at smoothing the integration of such resources into grid operations.
* Concentric Energy Advisors Inc.
* A coalition of environmental and consumer advocacy groups filed suit in the New Mexico Supreme Court challenging the Energy Transition Act which the groups said, would restrict the Public Regulation Commission's ability to regulate a public utility.
* A Politico analysis found that over 100 coal ash sites are in areas designated as high-risk flood zones by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Natural gas
* PDC Energy Inc.'s planned $1.7 billion all-stock acquisition of SRC Energy Inc. appears to have accomplished the increasingly rare feat of satisfying both industry analysts and shareholders.
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* An explosion potentially caused by a gas leak seriously damaged
Oil
* The biggest problem oil and gas producers have in the digital age is not a lack of data, but finding the right data and putting it to use.
* China Petroleum & Chemical Corp.
* The California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources has ordered Chevron Corp. to stop uncontrolled surface flows at a site in the Cymric oil field, KQED reported.
* The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has issued a draft environmental impact report for ConocoPhillips' Willow project in the northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The agency will collect public input through Oct. 15.
* Exxon Mobil Corp.
* Husky Energy Inc. began production at its Dee Valley thermal project in Saskatchewan, the second of six thermal bitumen projects the company plans to start up between 2018 and 2022.
* Qatar Petroleum signed agreements to farm into TOTAL SA-held exploration acreage in Namibia, Guyana and Kenya.
* Brazil's oil regulator approved 12 companies, including Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell PLC, to participate in the October exploration rights auction, according to Reuters.
Coal
* A magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia recommended granting former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship's motion to vacate, set aside or correct the coal executive's conviction on counts of conspiracy stemming from an investigation into the explosion of the Upper Big Branch coal mine that resulted in the deaths of 29 coal miners.
ChartWatch

Declining prices for the outstanding bonds of many shale gas producers may signal financial trouble ahead for the beaten down sector, industry analysts said.
New from RRA
* The North Carolina Utilities Commission Public Staff filed testimony Aug. 23 recommending that the commission require Virginia Electric and Power Co., which does business in North Carolina as Dominion Energy North Carolina, to reduce electric base rates by $8.1 million.
The day ahead
* Early morning futures indicators pointed to a higher opening for the U.S. equity markets. To view more SNL equity market indexes, click here. To view more SNL Energy commodities prices, click here.

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