By Duncan Sutherland - Exclusive to Gas Investing News

The tropical storm Edouard made landfall ^[1] near Galveston Tuesday, with wind speeds approaching hurricane status. Prompted by fears of the storm, oil and gas companies in the Gulf evacuated 23 platforms, or “3.2% of the 717 manned platforms ^[2]” in the region accounting for 7.21% of natural gas volume. The US Minerals Management Service will conduct inspections after the storm passes to ensure safe resumption of operations. Estimates of damage will be forthcoming, and stay tuned to the MMS website ^[3] for details.

This space discussed the two proposed Alaska-lower 48 gas pipelines a couple weeks ago, and more information is forthcoming. The deputy director for the Alaska division of Oil and Gas is contending ^[4] that it is almost certain that only one will be built.

TECO Energy Inc (NYSE:TE) created a wholly owned subsidiary ^[5], SeaCoast Gas Transmission LLC, to manage its Florida pipeline operations. SeaCoast is to supply Jacksonville's electricity generation utility.

Westport Innovations (TSX:WPT) has had a banner quarter, with a 62% rise in revenue ^[6]. The maker of natural gas powered auto engines posted $25.5 million (CDN) over the quarter. This is certainly a stock to watch, and would work augment a portfolio with exposure to gas-exploration/transmission firms.

Natural gas auto engines are an intriguing possibility that have been much in the news lately. Part of this has been the blitz of advertising conducted by Mr. T. Boone Pickens. The energy billionaire has spent almost $60 million in advertising on American television promoting his “Pickens Plan” to reduce the country's oil imports, largely through government intervention to subsidize such cars. Perhaps this space is overly cynical, but it should be duly noted that Mr. Pickens holds the majority of shares in Clean Energy Fuels Corp ^[7] (NASDAQ:CLNE). Currently the only such passenger car in the states is the Honda Civic GX ^[8], which is not infrastructurally feasible in much of the country.

Despite the problems in the US passenger car market, the idea has some merits. Such vehicles have found a following in most of the rest of the world, and can greatly mitigate the emissions ^[9] associated with vehicles that traditionally run on diesel like transport trucks and buses.

StatoilHydro (NYSE:STO) and Algeria's state-owned Sonatrach have hit gas for the fifth time ^[10] in their Saharan exploration. The Hassia Mouina licence of four blocks is divided 75/25 overall, with Statoil having the lions' share. This discovery looks like a win-win situation for the government and Statoil, although pipeline capacity across Algeria is in high demand. The find is in the Western Sahara, so technical challenges will be offset by reduced vulnerability to continuing political violence ^[11] in the country.

Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) is deciding whether to bifurcate the company into a “Exploration and Production, Intergrated Gas, and Oil Sands Mining ^[12]” entity and a “Refining, Marketing and Transportation business”. More to come as this situation develops.

Some potentially troubling news for NorthernStar Natural Gas, (NASDAQ:NSNG) as the Nez Perce Tribe has filed its opposition ^[13]to the company's Bradwood Landing LNG terminal in Oregon. The comment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stipulates that the company's Environmental Impact Statement failed “to adequately address the impacts of the project on the Tribe's treaty-reserved rights”, especially the fisheries that are the economic engine of the Tribe.