Big Deal: Interactive Timeline of Energy Transfer/Williams Merger

Below is an interactive timeline assembled from regulatory filings by Energy Transfer [Dallas] and Williams Companies [Tulsa]. Just one is from the Texas Triangle but both are heavyweights in the Petroplex.

Global and Regional Links

Yesterday the AP published a story on the cancellation of an air route between Houston and Stavanger, Norway's oil and gas capital. Appropriately named the "oil line," the airline SAS said the downturn in oil and gas has obviated the need for the flight.

Interestingly, Houston is home to one of the largest collection of Norwegians outside of Norway, according to multiple reports. The Scandinavian country maintains an embassy in Washington and three consulate generals in the US: Washington, San Francisco and Houston, according to Norway.org.

According to one oil and gas industry executive, the cost of a flight to Midland from Houston is much reduced lately. It's likely similar types of routes to other locations are likewise feeling the pain of the downturn: Houston to Denver or Houston to Calgary. .:.

The metros at night - are big and bright

The metros at night - are big and bright,
Deep in the heart of Texas
The downtown cores - skyward sore
Deep in the heart of Texas

The glowing towns - shine like crowns
Deep in the heart of Texas
Reminds of - the stars above
Deep in the heart of Texas

Urban cowboys roam - their ranch-style homes
Deep in the heart of Texas
Commuters rush - to avoid traffic's crush
Deep in the heart of Texas

The economy booms - when oil price zooms
Deep in the heart of Texas
Roughnecks bawl when prices fall - and bawl and bawl
Deep in the heart of Texas

(adapted by Mark Druskoff)



Image Description: One of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station, some 240 miles above Earth, used a 50mm lens to record this oblique nighttime image of a large part of the nation's second largest state in area, including the four largest metropolitan areas in population. The extent of the metropolitan areas is easily visible at night due to city and highway lights. The largest metro area, Dallas-Fort Worth, often referred to informally as the Metroplex, is the heavily cloud-covered area at the top center of the photo. Neighboring Oklahoma, on the north side of the Red River, less than 100 miles to the north of the Metroplex, appears to be experiencing thunderstorms. The Houston metropolitan area, including the coastal city of Galveston, is at lower right. To the east near the Texas border with Louisiana, the metropolitan area of Beaumont-Port Arthur appears as a smaller blotch of light, also hugging the coast of the Texas Gulf. Moving inland to the left side of the picture one can delineate the San Antonio metro area. The capital city of Austin can be seen to the northeast of San Antonio. This and hundreds of thousands of other Earth photos taken by astronauts and cosmonauts over the past 50 years are available on http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov