Top News
Energy trade groups expect Trump to sign tax reform bill into law by end of year
Despite some thorny issues yet to be worked out, power and gas industry representatives expect Congress to pass tax reform legislation soon and send the bill to President Donald Trump's desk by the end of 2017.
Oil, gas industry launches voluntary methane reduction program, to criticism
Some of the largest oil and gas producers in the country are pledging to trim methane emissions from their operations, signing up for a voluntary program launched by the industry's most influential trade group.
'Good times' for US coal exports to continue into 2018, Xcoal president says
The strength of the U.S. coal export market should continue through the first half of next year, according to Xcoal Energy & Resources President Jack Porco, due in part to the country's flexible role in the Atlantic Basin.
Power
* Several California Public Utilities Commission members suggested the state legislature and courts should limit the liability exposure investor-owned utilities face as wildfire risks to residents increase.
* TransAlta Corp. is accelerating the coal-to-gas conversion of Sundance units 3 to 6 and Keephills units 1 and 2 in the 2021 to 2022 timeframe, a year earlier than originally planned. The company also is mothballing temporarily a combination of Sundance units in 2018 and 2019 and intends to build a 120-kilometer natural gas pipeline to support its conversion plans.
* The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a multiparty settlement on Puget Sound Energy Inc.'s electric and gas rate case tied to Colstrip coal plant costs. The commission approved a $20 million, or 1%, increase in electric revenues, and a $35 million, or 3.9%, decrease in natural gas revenues.
* A new report by an advanced nuclear advocacy group calls for changes in America's export controls of nuclear energy technology in a bid to open up foreign markets by speeding up authorizations without weakening nonproliferation safeguards.
* The Saskatchewan government introduced a climate change strategy that focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change without a carbon tax. "This is about protecting our people and communities as much as it is about working with industry and others to reduce emissions here in Saskatchewan," Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said.
* First Solar Inc. completed a module sale deal, totaling 200 MWdc, with a D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments affiliate. First Solar will start delivery of the modules in 2019. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
* Exelon Generation Co. LLC has the ability to generate sufficient revenue from its Conowingo Dam operations to mitigate the associated environmental impacts and remain profitable, according to a new study commissioned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.
Natural gas/Oil
* Shareholder John Fox urged the oil and gas producer Marathon Petroleum Corp.to lower the cost of curtailing the distributions it receives from its master limited partnership, MPLX LP, which merged in 2015 with a company Fox helmed.
* Liberty Utilities Co. plans to invest $340 million to build an underground gas pipeline and a liquefied natural gas storage facility serve its customers in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.
* Dominion Energy Cove Point LNG LP on Dec. 5 introduced feed gas into its $4 billion Cove Point LNG facility in Maryland, which is now undergoing commissioning activities as it approaches completion.
* Justice Department attorneys are asking the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to overturn a ruling that Trump administration acted unlawfully in delaying the implementation of the Obama-era oil and gas methane emissions rule, The Hill in Washington, D.C., reported.
* The Appalachian shale region is at a point where it can become a world-class exporter of natural gas, such as Qatar, or build a regional energy ecosystem like Texas, which adds value to local resources by converting gas and liquids into higher-end petrochemicals and plastics, a new report from the accounting and consulting firm Deloitte said.
* Exxon Mobil Corp. wants the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts to block an order from a lower court that requires the company to turn over its climate data for a state investigation, The Associated Press reported. The company is being investigated on whether it misled the public on climate change.
* A 20-inch Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America LLC natural gas pipeline exploded in a farming accident that killed two and injured another two in Lee County, Ill., a local Illinois publication reported Dec. 5.
* The Alberta government announced a C$1.4 billion in innovation funding, including C$440 million for the oil sands innovation fund and C$400 million for green loan guarantees. The bulk of the funding will come from the Climate Leadership Plan.
* The Mississippi Public Service Commission approved Atmos Energy Corp.'s plan to extend natural gas service to rural and unserved areas. The plan will provide $5 million per year over the next five years with a goal of extending natural gas service to a minimum of 1,000 households annually.
* Enbridge Inc. temporarily suspended operations of its Line 5 pipeline at 11:37 a.m. on Tuesday due to high winds and waves in the Straits of Mackinac. Under an agreement with Michigan, the company must suspend operations of the pipeline during sustained adverse weather conditions where wave heights reach more than eight feet.
* XTO Energy Inc. is blaming a cow for causing an oil and gas byproduct leak at a well site in southwest Colorado, The Durango (Colo.) Herald reported.
Coal
* ERP Compliant Fuels
* A Norfolk Southern Corp. executive believes the railroad will exceed its fourth-quarter guidance for coal deliveries bound for export.
* Coal exports from the Hampton Roads port facilities in Virginia spiked 72.4% year over year to 3.4 million tons in November and climbed 9.4% from October's total, according to data obtained Dec. 5 from the Virginia Maritime Association.
Commodities
* Decreased consumption and increased supply threaten
* The price of day-ahead power could vary Wednesday, Dec. 6, as jumbled demand outlooks for the latter part of the workweek conspire with recent volatility in natural gas futures.
* Following a 7.1-cent retreat in the prior session to finish at $2.914/MMBtu, NYMEX January 2018 natural gas futures ticked higher overnight ahead of the Wednesday, Dec. 6, open, as the market derived renewed upside momentum from lingering cold weather in outlooks.

New from RRA
* The Maryland Public Service Commission approved on Dec. 4, a stipulation filed by AltaGas Ltd. and WGL Holdings Inc. that extends the procedural schedule for the companies' proposed merger.
Quoted
"To create a competitive advantage you look to scale. The view is, 'I can't differentiate myself on my technology, but I can differentiate myself on scale.' What that has resulted in then is a tremendous amount of capacity expansion, highly levered balance sheets in order to fund that growth and subpar economics and an oversupplied market," First Solar Inc. CEO Mark Widmar said in diagnosing the solar panel manufacturing industry's current ills during the company's analyst day.
The day ahead
* The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. ET on the nomination of R.D. James as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works.
* Early morning futures indicators pointed to a lower 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.
The Daily Dose is updated as of 7:30 a.m. ET. Some links may require registration or a subscription.
