Addressing

In another key order addressing the scope of pipeline collateral demands, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday said PG&E Gas Transmission-Northwest (PG&E-GTN) cannot require non-creditworthy shippers on its system to put up collateral equal to one year’s worth of reservation charges in order to continue receiving transportation service.

With several pipeline companies well into addressing the pipeline capacity shortages that persist as natural gas production grows throughout the Rocky Mountain region, Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission LLC (KMIGT) announced two major projects Wednesday, and several other companies detailed expansions planned or in the works during the closing session at the 13th Annual Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Strategy Conference.

With several pipeline companies well into addressing the pipeline capacity shortages that persist as natural gas production grows throughout the Rocky Mountain region, Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission LLC (KMIGT) announced two major projects Wednesday, and several other companies detailed expansions planned or in the works during the closing session at the 13th Annual Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Strategy Conference.

FERC will hold off on responding to issues raised by several parties in response to a recent Commission order that, among other things, determined that when qualifying facilities (QFs) in California sell excess power or make sales to third parties under court authorization, they should be allowed to request interconnection and transmission service from utilities in California. The Commission last Monday said that it would address all issues raised on rehearing of the order, as well as issues raised in response to a Federal Power Act (FPA) proposal included in the order, in a single future decision.

President George W. Bush, addressing business leaders and Gov. Gray Davis in Los Angeles Tuesday, delivered a public and unmistakable ‘no’ to price caps as a way out of the western energy crisis, and called for an end to finger-pointing. “Blame shifting is not action,” Bush said. “It is distraction.”

Two new California laws to begin addressing aspects of theworsening electricity crisis were signed late Thursday by Gov. GrayDavis within hours of their passage by the state legislaturemeeting in a special emergency session called earlier in the month.They are expected to ease concerns among creditors, marketparticipants and the beleaguered investor-owned utilities in thestate.

California Gov. Gray Davis over the weekend signed into law and vetoed separate measures addressing parts of the state’s ongoing electricity crisis. Davis acted on a half dozen initiatives as the deadline for enacting new state laws expired Saturday. Among the new laws are ones that will accelerate power plant siting and extend ratepayer-supported energy efficiency programs.

Tucked inside a “supplemental notice” addressing FERC’s interimreliability measures, the Commission last week said it “has begunand will continue an extensive review and audit” of electrictransmission owners’ Open Access Same-time Information System(OASIS) sites to ensure compliance.

Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America’s (NGPL) interpretation of aNovember order addressing its auctioning practices was dead wrong,FERC said last week in denying the pipeline’s request forrehearing.