-- US Senators Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York) and Dick Durbin
(Democrat-Illinois) said they intend to introduce legislation to
create a strategic gasoline and jet fuel reserve to tap in times of
fuel shortages. The plan comes in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita, which caused widespread refinery closures, spot shortages and
price spikes of petroleum products.
-- Murphy Oil's 125,000 b/d refinery in Meraux, Louisiana,
remains without power a month after Hurricane Katrina, but the
company is "hopeful" it will have power restored in "the next couple
weeks," a spokesman said.
-- Illinois gasoline marketers have been granted a state waiver
to sell 13.5 RVP winter-grade gasoline three days ahead of schedule
due to supply constraints following Rita, according to a letter from
the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
-- Plains All American Pipelines said in a securities filing that
preliminary damage assessments showed the extent of damage to its
facilities in the Gulf of Mexico from Katrina and Rita was not
significant.
-- Callon Petroleum said Rita had a minimal effect on its main
production facilities in the US Gulf of Mexico, but said it was
lowering its third and fourth quarter output estimates because of
shut-ins due to Rita and Katrina.
-- ExxonMobil said storm damage to most of its facilities had
been "limited" -- external grating, stairways and office space --
and that it had restarted production at several offshore and onshore
facilities along the Gulf Coast. The company said shut-in production
due to Rita and Katrina totaled about 65,000 b/d liquids and 710,000
Mcf/d gas, gross.
-- Sabine Pipeline's 131-mile pipeline system, which includes
Henry Hub, remained shut down on Sep 29, one week after it declared
force majeure ahead of Rita. In a notice late on Sep 28, Sabine said
that although power remains out over most parts of its Erath,
Louisiana-to-Port Arthur, Texas system, it has begun efforts to
clean up and restore operations.
-- An Entergy spokeswoman said that while the utility does not
directly supply electricity to Sabine Pipeline's Henry Hub in
southern Louisiana, Entergy-owned substations critical to serving
the site were flooded by Rita and cannot be operated. She said power
to Henry Hub is supplied by a local cooperative utility, but Entergy
operates substations leading into the plant.
-- Market Hub Partners' Egan Hub Storage and Moss Bluff
facilities have returned to full operation, MHP parent Duke Energy
Gas Transmission said. Egan and Moss Bluff together provide total
storage capacity of 26 Bcf.
-- Entergy said 354,637 of its customers who lost power during
Rita remained without power as of 8 a.m. CDT on Sep 29, down from a
peak of more than 766,000. It said 230,532 of its customers in Texas
are without service and 121,648 in Louisiana are still without
service.
-- Entergy has told two electric cooperatives in south Louisiana
that it will be two or three weeks before power can be restored to
the area, a spokesman for the Assn of Louisiana Electric
Cooperatives said. Hurricane Rita hit hard both Jeff Davis Electric
Cooperative in Jennings, Louisiana, and Beauregard Electric
Cooperative in Deritter, Louisiana. All customers of both
cooperatives lost power.
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