Battles

For California and elsewhere, the push toward carbon dioxide emission reductions means more battles between natural gas and coal over which should be the electric generation fuel to smooth increased reliance on more intermittent sources of renewable power: wind and solar.

Recent reports of turf battles between FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) “have been overplayed,” and the two regulatory entities have, in fact, worked in close cooperation, members of each commission said at the National Energy Marketers Association (NEMA) annual membership meeting in Washington, DC, last Tuesday.

Recent reports of turf battles between FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) “have been overplayed,” and the two regulatory entities have, in fact, worked in close cooperation, members of each commission said at the National Energy Marketers Association (NEMA) annual membership meeting in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

Allegheny Energy, Inc. said last week it has signed an agreement with Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., bringing to a close the long-running legal battles the two have fought since Allegheny’s purchase of Merrill’s Global Energy Market (GEM) energy commodities trading unit in 2001.

Allegheny Energy Inc. said Monday it has signed an agreement with Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., bringing to a close the long-running legal battles the two have fought since Allegheny’s purchase of Merrill’s Global Energy Market (GEM) energy commodities trading unit in 2001.

Mexican legislators challenging the multiple service contracts (MSC) enacted by Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) two years ago appear to have lost court battles to prevent foreign investment through this type of contract in the country’s natural gas resources. Pemex said Sunday two of the four demands have been resolved in its favor, and two more favorable rulings are expected.

In the midst of an ever-widening series of battles facing merchant electricity generators during California’s energy crisis, the state’s small generator trade association Wednesday lauded the newly inked deal with Southern California Edison Co. and many of the state’s small qualifying facility (QF) generators as good for consumers and a means of “stabilizing” state wholesale power prices. A string of legal suits by both the utility and QFs has been suspended as a result.

Battling a moves to re-impose the cap on prices paid in the secondary transportation market to California, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) went on record last week opposing an attempt by Rep. Rick Boucher, D-VA, in a subcommittee mark-up to re-instate the cap legislatively on capacity release and cap transportation rates to the border. However, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also is seeking industry comments on whether to reimpose its the rate caps on short-term released capacity.

Battling a moves to re-impose the cap on prices paid in the secondary transportation market to California, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) went on record last week opposing an attempt by Rep. Rick Boucher, D-VA, in a subcommittee mark-up to re-instate the cap legislatively on capacity release and cap transportation rates to the border.