In the US northeast, more pipes and more gas

New infrastructure will unleash new supplies from the Marcellus and Utica. It could temper the recent price rally

It has been a rough couple of years for gas producers around the prolific Marcellus and Utica shale plays. The vast amount of supply brought into production has swamped the existing infrastructure network, depressing prices and forcing producers to keep gas in the ground. Billions of dollars in new pipelines needed to ease the glut have faced fierce environmental opposition and a grindingly slow approvals process. So it came as sweet relief in February when, in a frenzy of action, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) gave key approvals to three major northeast gas-pipeline projects that promise to help ease the glut over the next 18 months. The approvals came just ahead of a major