FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker held a teleconference lastThursday with officials from three trade associations representinginterstate pipelines, major producers and independent producers todiscuss spiraling natural gas prices.

He voiced concerns about “potential price manipulation” in thegas market, and he wanted to know whether companies were “engagingin unnecessary profits,” an informed source told NGI. Hoeckerindicated the Commission plans to do either a study or report on”who’s making the money during the California crisis” in both thegas and electricity markets, he said.

Participating in the three-way teleconference wererepresentatives from the Interstate Natural Gas Association ofAmerica, the Natural Gas Supply Association and the IndependentPetroleum Association of America.

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