January Newsreel: Spectra Energy's New CEO; New Western Canada Hub; KMP's Ethanol Flowing in Florida

Designed to inform the attendees about the salary potential and careers that can grow from an education in welding, the Career Horizons: Welding symposium featured presentations by welding students, graduates of welding programs, industry experts and high school administrators.

Larry Haase, principal at Menasha High School, “had no idea how many career pathways were available from a welding education until I became involved in this program. We’ve all ascended through our careers by starting at step one. A welding education can be a launching pad for a variety of careers in dozens of industries.”

Attendees learned there are 2,900 unfilled welding jobs in Wisconsin alone and 360 new openings are created yearly with average salary of nearly $19/hour, potentially exceeding $100/hour. There is an anticipated nationwide shortage of more than 200,000 welders predicted by 2010.

One goal of the event was to encourage high school personnel to reach out to industries and businesses in their communities to form partnerships that can improve the quality of the schools’ technical education programs.

Petroplex Planning Liquids Terminal In Louisiana
PetroPlex International, LLC will build a state-of-the-art, liquid bulk storage and blending facility in St. James Parish, LA. The first complement of storage tanks and docking system is scheduled to be operational by mid-2010. The storage facility will be constructed in two stages, with Phase One accommodating 4 million barrels of liquid petroleum. Phase Two will add 6 million barrels, constructed as industry demands dictate.

The site consists of 1,000 acres of immediately usable land (1,790 acres in total). Over 3,000 feet of river frontage, with 45-foot draft, will provide large vessels and river barges access to the docking system. The storage terminal will provide tankage for crude oil, residual fuel oil, middle and light distillates, along with specialty veg/lube oils.

Large-diameter pipelines/high-volume pumps will expedite the loading and discharging of cargoes. The site will be able to load/discharge via truck rack, railcar (Union Pacific Railroad), waterborne and pipeline connectivity to the Shell Capline System (connecting leg to be constructed).

PECO Lowers Natural Gas Rates Nearly 19%
PECO lowered its natural gas rate by 18.8% for its 484,000 customers in the Philadelphia suburbs, effective Dec.1. An average residential heating customer uses 160 Ccf (or hundreds of cubic feet) per month during the heating season. PECO said its decrease will save customers almost $50 in December, compared with the current gas rate ($261.58 for 160 Ccf down to $213.43, including taxes and other monthly charges). Coupled with another decrease on Sept.1, PECO’s natural gas rate will be virtually the same as last December. Natural gas wholesale prices spiked last winter through June, causing gas rates for local consumers to rise from $1.28 per Ccf to $1.68 per Ccf in June.