Chesapeake, Enterprise line to ship ethane from Northeast to Gulf Coast

HOUSTON, Texas - Chesapeake Energy Corp. said on Nov. 2 that it will anchor Enterprise Products Partners LP's proposed ethane pipeline from northeastern states to the Gulf Coast.

The companies did not disclose financial details of their long-term contract.

The pipeline would have an initial capacity to carry 125,000 barrels per day (b/d) and could be expanded, the companies said.

Shippers who commit to use the pipeline would pay between 14.5 cents and 15.5 cents per gallon.

The companies said the pipeline would deliver ethane produced in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio about 1,230 miles to their storage complex for natural gas liquids in Mont Belvieu, Texas.

The pipeline could begin operating in early 2014, they said.

Pipeline Safety Trust annual conference to be webcast live on Nov. 17-18

The Pipeline Safety Trust's annual conference in New Orleans will be webcast live on Nov. 17-18. You can watch by going to this link - http://onlinevideoservice.com/clients/pstrust/2011Webcast/

The agenda for the webcast is below. All times are Central Standard Time. You can also ask questions live by sending an email to: questions@pstrust.org

An archive of the presentation will be available on the Pipeline Safety Trust’s website for a few weeks after the conference as well.

Pipeline Safety - Getting to Zero

Nearly everyone says getting to zero incidents is the primary safety goal, so how do we do that?

Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, Louisiana
November 17 & 18, 2011
All times are Central Standard Time

DAY ONE -Thursday, Nov. 17

9:00 - 9:10 Welcoming Comments - La Nouvelle Orleans

9:10 - 9:30 Opening Address - La Nouvelle Orleans Christopher Hart, Vice Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

9:30 - 10:45 Congressional Reauthorization and PHMSA Rulemakings - Enough to avoid future tragedies?
Jeff Wiese, Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety, PHMSA
Andy Black , President & CEO, Association of Oil Pipe Lines
Alex Oehler, Manager, Federal Government Affairs, NiSource Inc.
Carl Weimer, Executive Director, Pipeline Safety Trust

10:45 - 11:00 Break

11:00 - 12:15 One Year Later - What has the Public Learned from the San Bruno Tragedy?
The Honorable Jackie Speier, U.S. Congresswoman, California (taped )
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle
Rene Morales, Executive Director & Kimberly Archie, Chair, Gas
Pipeline Safety Foundation, San Bruno, CA
The Honorable Jim Ruane, Mayor & Connie Jackson, City Manager, San Bruno, CA

12:15 - 1:30 Lunch Break

1:30 - 2:30 San Bruno - Lessons Learned - Were PG&E's practices an anomaly or the tip of a bigger problem? How would we know?
Alan Mayberry, Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations, PHMSA
Terry Boss, Senior Vice President of Environment, Safety & Operations, INGAA
Nick Stavropoulos, Executive Vice President, Gas Operations, PG&E
Randy Knepper, National Vice-Chair, National Association of Pipeline
Safety Representatives

2:30 - 3:45 Health effects from spills - what is really known?
Deb Miller, Impacted resident and business owner from the Enbridge
spill, Ceresco, Mi
Michael & Nina Vought - Affected Citizens from the Chevron Spill,
Salt Lake City, UT
James Rutherford, Health Officer, Calhoun County, MI
Robin Carbaugh, Ombuds, Salt Lake City, UT

3:45 - 4:00 Break

4:00 - 5:00 With All the New Drilling, Gathering Pipelines Are Going In all Over - Is This a Problem?
Emily Krafjack, Community, Municipal & Environmental Liaison, Wyoming
County, PA
John Jacobi, Western Region, Community Assistance & Technical
Services Manager, PHMSA
Randy Knepper, National Vice-Chair, National Association of Pipeline
Safety Representatives

DAY TWO - Friday, Nov. 18

9:00 - 9:30 Day 2 Keynote - Pipeline Safety - A Call to Action
Cynthia Quarterman, Administrator, PHMSA

9:30 - 10:00 Public Awareness Program (video) relating to unsecured oil and gas sites
Vidisha Parasram, Acting Director, Office of Incident Screening and Selection,
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

10:00 - 11:00 You Don't Always Have To Be Told What To Do - Voluntary Industry Initiatives to Make Things Safer
Andy Drake, Vice President of Asset Integrity, Spectra Energy Transmission
Tim Felt, President and CEO, Colonial Pipeline
Christina Sames, Vice President of Operations and Engineering,
American Gas Association

11:00 - 11:15 Break

11:15 - 12:15 Aging infrastructure? Where's it a problem and what's the fix?
The Honorable Ed Pawlowski, Mayor, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Linda Daugherty, Deputy Associate Administrator, Policy & Programs, PHMSA
Mark McDonald, President, New England Gas Workers Association
Sue Fleck, Vice President of Engineering Standards & Policy, National Grid

12:15 - 1:30 - LUNCH BREAK

1:30 - 2:30 PIPA Implementation - Anything Happening?
Julie Halliday - Senior Program Manager, PHMSA
Susan Waller, Vice President of Stakeholder Outreach, Spectra Energy
James Davenport, Program Director, National Association of Counties
Rebecca Craven, Program Director, Pipeline Safety Trust

2:30 - 2:45 Closing

U.S. delays decision on Keystone XL until after 2012 election

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama administration, under pressure from officials in Nebraska and environmental activists, announced on Nov. 10 that it would review the route of TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, effectively delaying any decision about its fate until after the 2012 election.

The State Department said in a statement that it was ordering a review of alternate routes to avoid the environmentally sensitive Sand Hills region of Nebraska, which would have been put at risk by a rupture of the 1,700-mile pipeline carrying dilbit extracted from oil sands formations in Alberta to refineries in Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast.

The move is the latest in a series of administration decisions pushing back environmental matters beyond next November's presidential election to try to avoid the heat from opposing interests - business lobbies or environmental and health advocates - and to find a political middle ground.

The proposed project by TransCanada put the president in a political squeeze between the demand for a secure source of oil and the thousands of jobs the project will bring, and the loud agitation of environmental advocates who threatened to withhold electoral support next year if he approved it.tar sands

Energy Transfer, Southern Union set merger approval date

Energy Transfer Equity, Southern Union announce Dec. 9 special meeting

Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE) and Southern Union Company (NYSE: SUG) on Oct. 28 announced that Southern Union has begin the distribution of the proxy statement/prospectus for a Dec. 9 special meeting of Southern Union stockholders associated with ETE's proposed acquisition of Southern Union.

The special meeting of Southern Union stockholders will be held at 11:00 a.m. at the Metropolitan Club in New York. The primary purpose of the meeting is to approve the merger agreement.

Stockholders of Southern Union common stock at the close of business on Oct. 11, whether or not they attend the meeting, are entitled to vote at the special meeting. If a stockholder cannot attend the meeting, they should still vote their shares by completing, signing, dating and returning the proxy card; using the toll-free telephone number shown on the proxy card; or using the internet website shown on the proxy card. Stockholders that hold Southern Union common stock through a bank or broker should follow the voting instructions provided.

Approval of the merger agreement requires a simple majority of the outstanding shares of Southern Union common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting. Certain stockholders of Southern Union, who directly or indirectly own approximately 13.4 percent of Southern Union's outstanding shares, have already agreed to vote in favor of the merger agreement and have also agreed to elect to receive ETE common units as consideration in the proposed merger rather than the cash consideration.

The board of directors of Southern Union has unanimously recommended the approval of the merger agreement.

NuStar Energy L.P. reports higher than anticipated third Quarter 2011 earnings

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE: NS) on  Oct. 28 announced its third quarter net income applicable to limited partners was $59.8 million, or $0.92 per unit, compared to $58.4 million, or $0.90 per unit, earned in the third quarter of 2010.

For the nine months ended Sept. 30, net income applicable to limited partners was $160.9 million, or $2.49 per unit, compared to $159.0 million, or $2.55 per unit, for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2010.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were $138.8 million for the third quarter of 2011 compared to $131.0 million for the third quarter of 2010. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, EBITDA was $391.7 million, higher than the $369.2 million for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2010.

Distributable cash flow available to limited partners for the third quarter was $80.3 million, or $1.24 per unit, compared to 2010 third quarter distributable cash flow of $84.0 million, or $1.30 per unit. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, distributable cash flow available to limited partners was $244.8 million, or $3.79 per unit, compared to $214.0 million, or $3.40 per unit for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2010.

NuStar also declared a distribution of $1.095 per unit, which would equate to $4.38 per unit on an annual basis. The third quarter 2011 distribution will be paid on Nov. 14, to holders of record as of Nov. 8. Distributable cash flow available to limited partners covers the distribution to the limited partners by 1.13 times for the third quarter of 2011.