By a 3-2 vote, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has adopted a “code of conduct” for natural gas utilities, prohibiting them from giving marketing affiliates preference over non-affiliated marketers in issues concerning transportation or curtailment authority. Among other things, the code does not allow the utilities to release confidential customer information without prior authorization.

Under the new rules, the PSC also banned gas utilities from releasing information through requests that are processed for transportation service “unless such information is contemporaneously made available to similarly situated market participants.”

Although the attorney for the Florida legislature’s Joint Administrative Procedures Committee (JAPC) objected, the PSC also banned gas utilities from sharing employees who have a direct responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the company’s transportation operations. The commission specifically prohibited utilities from sharing employees involved in receiving transportation service requests or tariff sales requests from customers, scheduling gas deliveries on the company’s system, scheduling gas or allocations, or buying gas or capacity.

The JAPC contended in its objection that the PSC lacks the authority to prevent utilities and marketing companies from sharing employees.

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