Allowed

Oregon regulators have allowed the state’s three major gas utilities, Avista, Cascade Natural Gas and Northwest Natural Gas, to raise their rates by between 1.9% and 15.4% because of higher commodity costs. The rate changes take effect Oct. 1.

Oregon regulators have allowed the state’s three major gas utilities, Avista, Cascade Natural Gas and Northwest Natural Gas, to raise their rates by between 1.9% and 15.4% because of higher commodity costs. The rate changes take effect Oct. 1.

Nearly four years after retail gas market deregulation allowed residential customers across Georgia to buy gas from alternative suppliers, complaints have slowed to a trickle and the state legislature and staff of the Georgia Public Service Commission (GPSC) have been able to turn to fine-tuning the system.

A U.S. House subcommittee last week voted down a proposal that would have allowed states to opt out of FERC’s pending standard market design (SMD) for U.S. wholesale power markets.

Anticipated demand allowed Algonquin to accept “a limited amount” of due-shipper imbalance make-up nominations for Christmas Day. However, the pipeline said no due-shipper gas would be available Thursday.

Although thousands of Enron Corp. customers are expected to retain energy-services contracts set up by the company — at least for the short term — the New York City bankruptcy judge overseeing Enron’s Chapter 11 reorganization granted the company permission to terminate several hundred contracts. Enron Energy Services (EES) had been one of Enron’s fastest growing divisions, and before it declared bankruptcy, had secured contracts at more than 31,000 sites in all 50 states and in five countries. The contracts were estimated to be worth more than $16 billion in 2000 alone and last year, Enron scored several other billion dollar deals.

Although thousands of Enron Corp. customers are expected to retain energy-services contracts set up by the company — at least for the short term — the New York City bankruptcy judge overseeing Enron’s Chapter 11 reorganization granted the company permission Thursday to terminate several hundred contracts. Enron Energy Services (EES) had been one of Enron’s fastest growing divisions, and before it declared bankruptcy, had secured contracts at more than 31,000 sites in all 50 states and in five countries. The contracts were estimated to be worth more than $16 billion in 2000 alone and last year, Enron scored several other billion dollar deals.

Legislation unveiled yesterday on Capitol Hill would ensure that combined heat and power (CHP) systems are allowed to interconnect nationwide with the electricity grid, while also reducing energy costs and harnessing power that would otherwise be wasted.

Legislation to create a Montana power authority that would be allowed to, among other things, acquire electrical generation facilities, recently cleared the Montana legislature. A state lawmaker who sponsored the measure expressed confidence the bill (HB 474) would be signed into law by the governor no later than May 10.