Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.energy From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: energy Fri, Mar 27 1992 Date: Fri, 27 Mar 92 05:43:21 EST Message-ID: 03-27 0000 DECISIONLINE: Energy USA TODAY Update March 27-29, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network GASOLINE RALLY MOVES PRICES UP: Oil prices rose in generally lethargic trading, nudged higher by a rally in the gasoline pit. Light sweet crude oil for delivery in May settled at $19.28 a barrel, up 9 cents, at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Unleaded gasoline for delivery in April settled at 58.55 cents a gallon, up .87 cent. Traders attributed the rise to reports showing supplies fell sharply last week. NATURAL GAS RALLY ENDS: Natural gas prices retreated Thursday after advancing strongly all week, with contracts for delivery in May settling at $1.322 per 1,000 cubic feet, down 5.7 cents at the Mercantile Exchange. Traders said the drop was an expected correction after the earlier rallies, which came amid cold weather in much of the USA and cutbacks in production. LAWMAKERS CAN'T GET THE LEAD OUT: Lawmakers trying to refine federal waste recovery laws failed Thursday in their effort to get the lead out of used oil. Instead, the House transportation and hazardous materials subcommittee left that and other contentious issues in the expanded Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for the full 43-member House Energy and Commerce Committee to resolve. (For more, see special Oil package below.) ROCKWELL GUILTY, TO PAY $18.5M: Former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant operator Rockwell International Corp. Thursday admitted to crimes against the environment. Rockwell pleaded guilty to four felony hazardous waste violations, one felony violation of the Clean Water Act and five misdemeanor Clean Water Act violations and will pay $18.5 million. Among violations: Storing hazardous wastes without a permit. MOBIL TO SELL NORWEGIAN ASSETS: Mobil Oil Thursday said that it has concluded an agreement to sell the automotive and heating fuels marketing businesses of its Norwegian subsidiary, Mobil Oil A:S Norge, to Hydro Olje a.s., a subsidiary of Norsk Hydro a.s. for $57 million. The sale is effective April 1. Alson, Mobil said its marine fuels business in Norway will be acquired by a number of Mobil's marine fuels agents. LGTI TO SHUTDOWN SUNDAY: The Louisiana Gasification Technology Inc. facility in Plaquemine, Louisiana is scheduled to suspend operations for three weeks, beginning March 29, to implement technology improvements, it was announced Thursday. LGTI is a coal gasification plant that processes up to 2,400 tons of coal per day to manufacture syngas, with properties similar to natural gas. DESTEC REPORTS FINANCING DEAL: Destec Energy Inc., Houston, said Thursday that it has arranged refinancing of the CoGen Lyondell cogeneration plant in Channelview, Texas. CoGen Lyondell, which generates 465 megawatts of electricity and more than 1 million pounds per hour of steam, was developed and is operated by Destec. Destec declined to disclose the terms of the refinancing arrangement. NUCLEAR WORKERS' INSURANCE EYED: Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, on Friday will introduce a bill that would grant workers at the USA's nuclear weapons plants more job security, comprehensive medical examinations and lifetime health insurance. The measure by Glenn and Sen. Tim Wirth, D-Colo., seeks to protect workers as the Department of Energy converts its plants from bomb building to environmental restoration. WORKERS TO BE RETRAINED: A bill to be introduced Friday by Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, would require the Energy Department to honor union contracts and retrain nuclear weapons plants workers for cleanup. If workers are laid off, DOE would be required to provide them with training and other assistance for new jobs. The measure would cover workers at DOE's 17 nuclear weapons plants in 13 states. SPILL CLEANUP BEGUN: Cleanup crews Thursday worked to mop up 200 gallons of an oil mixture that spilled Wednesday into environmentally sensitive Fidalgo Bay at a Texaco refinery in Anacortes, Wash. The spill, which was cause by a leak in a 1:4-inch instrument line, covered 300 yards of shoreline. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON OIL: USED OIL FOR HEATING SPEWS LEAD: Among the amendments put aside by a House subcommittee Thursday was one by Rep. Cardiss Collins, D-Ill., that would require removal of 90% of lead from used oil before it can be burned to heat schools, factories, and apartment and office buildings. Collins cited Hazardous Waste Treatment Council findings that said burning used oil spews 600,000 tons of lead a year into the atmosphere. FAILURE TO AGREE PROMPTED MOVE: Autos alone create 1.4 billion gallons of used oil, 780 million gallons of which are recycled without prior treatment for burning in boilers, said Rep. Cardiss Collins, D-Ill. But as the possibility of reaching agreement at the subcommittee level waned, Collins agreed to let the full committee chaired by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., tackle the issue. BUSH NOT BACKING MEASURE: "We have to be careful with this item that we don't discourage its collection and reuse," warned Rep. W.J. Tauzin, D-La. "More used oil is being put in the ditch (by do-it-yourselfers) than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez (in Alaska)." The 250-page bill would expand the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The White House has withheld support from the measure, calling it unworkable. (End of package.) Energy Editor: William Snoddy. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM