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U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals report they fully expect to be in compliance with the stiffer maritime terrorist deterrence rules that are due to take effect in July, reducing the threat of disruptions to imports next summer.

In a packed business meeting in which anti-utility sentiments were palpable, California regulators Thursday narrowly (on a 3-2 vote) approved a modified settlement agreement for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to emerge from bankruptcy, paying off $12 billion to its creditors and regaining an investment-grade credit rating. The action follows a last-minute compromise between the utility and the state’s leading utility consumer group, requiring state legislation to realize an estimated $1 billion in savings for PG&E’s retail electric utility customers.

Even though the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has direct authority to impose its proposed “code of conduct” only on pipelines and LDCs and their affiliates by attaching it to blanket sales certificates, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) believes “this is a sufficiently large group of sellers of natural gas to warrant adoption of the rules…since many of the affiliates of interstate pipelines or LDCs are among the largest natural gas marketers in the nation” (RM03-10).

Even though the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission only has direct authority to impose its proposed “code of conduct” on pipelines and LDCs and their affiliates by attaching it to blanket sales certificates, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) believes “this is a sufficiently large group of sellers of natural gas to warrant adoption of the rules…since many of the affiliates of interstate pipelines or LDCs are among the largest natural gas marketers in the nation” (RM03-10).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposed standard as to what would constitute prohibited behavior in natural gas markets in the future is “highly vague,” says EnCana Marketing (USA) Inc. It urged the agency not only to reject the proposed standard, but to defer further action on it until the investigations into the market behavior of gas suppliers have been completed.

Just days after winning anti-trust clearance from the Departmentof Justice (DOJ), the proposed merger of Philadelphia-based PECOEnergy Co. and Unicom Corp. of Chicago, parent of CommonwealthEdison Co., got some more good news yesterday — it sailed throughFERC with no conditions attached.