Equitrans LP is seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval to abandon in place some of its natural gas gathering facilities in West Virginia. The Pittsburgh-based company is proposing to abandon 4.5 miles of its certificated M-90 gathering line and appurtenant facilities, including one receipt point interconnect with a gas producer and no direct interconnects with end users, in Tyler and Doddridge counties, according to an application filed at FERC. When Equitrans acquired the facilities through a 2003 merger with affiliate Carnegie Interstate Pipeline Co., it converted them from transmission to gathering, according to the application. Since then, a valve at the interconnection between the low pressure M-90 pipeline and the M-35 pipeline has remained closed; Equitrans proposes capping the facilities west of the 1997 Hardman Meter and the closed valve “in an effort to reduce lost and unaccounted for gas.” Equitrans asked FERC to issue an order authorizing the abandonment by May 15.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission(CFTC) staff plans to hold a public roundtable on April 3 to discuss issues concerning end-users and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. CFTC said it has received a number of comments and requests for clarification from commercial end-users that have been impacted by Dodd-Frank. The roundtable would consist of three panels, discussing the obligations of end-users concerning recordkeeping for commodity interest and related cash or forward transactions; the appropriate regulatory treatment of forward contracts with embedded volumetric optionality; and the appropriate regulatory treatment for purposes of the $25 million (special entity) de minimis threshold for swap dealing to government-owned electric utilities. The roundtable would be held at CFTC’s headquarters in Washington, DC, and available for participation by telephone. The time of the meeting, call-in numbers and agenda have yet to be announced.