Association

The Western Governors’ Association (WGA) is urging Congress to move quickly on federal electricity reliability legislation, saying that such a move is needed to ensure reliability in the Western interconnection. Meanwhile, Western governors this week are expected to receive a draft report that will detail where in the region it is economically feasible to build transmission lines in order to relieve congestion.

The American Gas Association (AGA) sees nothing but positives in the current gas supply situation despite the fact that inadequate supply in the face of strong demand growth has been behind the recent record increase in prices and expectations of more than $4 gas price averages this year. It’s confidence in the long-term growth of demand has been shaken somewhat, however, and its prior price forecasts appear to have been more than a little on the low side.

The American Gas Association sees nothing but positives in the current gas supply situation despite the fact that inadequate supply in the face of strong demand growth has been behind the recent record increase in prices and expectations of more than $4 gas price averages this year.

The National Energy Marketers Association (NEM), responding to the Bush administration’s energy plan and the Democrats’ response, issued on Tuesday an urgent call for bipartisan support for meaningful incentives for massive new investments in additional energy supplies, conservation, infrastructure and technology. “Both plans recognize that new investments are required immediately, but both plans lack sufficient incentives to permit energy prices to come down,” said NEM President Craig Goodman. “Accelerated cost recoveries for new investments in energy supply, conservation, advanced energy technology and environmental protection will solve the energy supply problem quickly and is one of the lowest cost, highest yield policy solutions. New energy supplies, conservation and advanced technology will lower costs to all consumers and should be considered a moral imperative. NEM has long advocated the expansion of existing Internal Revenue Code Sections to include ‘Qualified Energy Restructuring Investments’ for new supplies, conservation, infrastructure, advanced metering and distributed generation technologies.”

Despite its steep rise in price over the past year, the AmericanGas Association said last week that natural gas still will costless to use this year than any other major home energy source,based on information from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office ofEnergy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Nearly 61% of U.S. homes,about 58 million, have natural gas service.

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker announced last week during theCommission’s regular meeting that he will step down on Thursday(Jan. 18), ending his three-year-plus stint as chairman and morethan seven years on the panel. Before those words were evenuttered, the White House notified Commissioner William Massey thathe would take the baton from Hoecker beginning Jan. 19.

The National Energy Marketers Association’s (NEM) executivecommittee will vote on a final draft of a National EnergyTechnology Policy at the group’s Industry Leadership Roundtable onOct. 30 and 31 in The Woodlands, TX in an attempt to implementuniform internet standards and tax incentives to upgrade the U.S.energy infrastructure.

The Board of Directors of the Interstate Natural Gas Associationof America (INGAA) elected Stanley C. Horton, CEO of EnronTransportation Services Co., as INGAA’s chairman for 2001. Hortonsucceeds David A. Arledge, CEO of Coastal Corp. INGAA completed itsslate of officers by electing Michael E. J. Phelps, CEO ofWestcoast Energy Inc., as first vice chairman and John W.Somerhalder II, executive vice president of El Paso Energy PipelineGroup, as second vice chairman. Jerald V. Halvorsen was re-electedpresident of INGAA.

The American Gas Association (AGA) has called on presidentialhopefuls Al Gore and George W. Bush to focus on developing a”balanced, long-term, market-based energy policy” that wouldprominently feature natural gas.