California regulators and other state energy officials have asked FERC to publicly disclose the responses of natural gas marketers to agency questions dealing with the misreporting of gas prices to energy trade newsletters that publish gas price indexes.

“There is no sound reason for keeping this information confidential given the public importance of full disclosure concerning the effect misreporting had on the [energy] market,” said the California parties in urging FERC to “publicly release” marketers’ replies, which were due at the Commission on Nov. 8. The parties include the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the California Electricity Oversight Board, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co.

In late October, FERC sent out data requests to the largest gas marketers based on 2001 physical sales volumes. It asked them whether they knew of instances where employees tried to manipulate the gas market by supplying false prices on trades to energy trade publications that compile gas price indexes, such as Natural Gas Intelligence’s Daily Gas Price Index, Platts-owned Gas Daily and Inside FERC, and Natural Gas Week.

The Commission said the investigation was non-public, and refused to name the marketers that were targeted, although it was believed to be the top energy marketers.

FERC initiated its probe following disclosures by several companies that their employees submitted or may have submitted bogus prices on gas trades to energy trade publications.

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