Brewing

Faulty wireless meter-reading transponders are the source of a controversy brewing in Utah between Questar Gas and its customers and advocacy groups as the utility attempts to back-bill approximately 500 of its customers nearly $500,000.

Even in the midst of a brewing international oil crisis and the state’s skyrocketing gasoline prices at the pump, Californians are expanding their organized opposition to proposed offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals along the state’s southern Pacific Coast. Hoping to head off the ground swell, One proponent already has scheduled community information meetings later this month in Oxnard and Malibu, CA, the onshore entry point for a terminal 22 miles offshore.

Even in the midst of a brewing international oil crisis and the state’s skyrocketing gasoline prices at the pump, Californians are expanding their organized opposition to proposed offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals along the state’s southern Pacific Coast. Hoping to head off the ground swell, One proponent already has scheduled community information meetings later this month in Oxnard and Malibu, CA, the onshore entry point for a terminal 22 miles offshore.

There may be a U.S.-European battle brewing over spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes, according to Southwest Securities analysts. There’s a limit on spot LNG and in order to continue attracting this limited supply, gas prices in the United States will have to stay above $4.50 through 2007 and maintain a positive Nymex-International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) gas futures basis differential.

There may be a U.S.-European battle brewing over spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes, according to Southwest Securities analysts. There’s a limit on spot LNG and in order to continue attracting this limited supply, gas prices in the United States will have to stay above $4.50 through 2007 and maintain a positive Nymex-International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) gas futures basis differential.

State legislators debated a “cash infusion” for the financiallytroubled private-sector utilities yesterday in exchange for statetakeover of their transmission and generation assets. AndCalifornia Gov. Gray Davis on Wednesday highlighted a package ofproposed bills to provide $120 million in cash incentives and a 50%tax break to renewable energy and distributed generation developersas a means of fulfilling his promise to add 20,000 MW over the nextthree years.

A showdown that was brewing between FERC and New Jersey Gov.Christine Todd Whitman over the hotly contested MarketLinkexpansion was suddenly aborted on Friday when Chairman JamesHoecker pulled the project from the agenda for Tuesday’spre-Thanksgiving meeting.

A showdown that was brewing between FERC and New Jersey Gov.Christine Todd Whitman over the hotly contested MarketLinkexpansion was defused late last week when Chairman James Hoeckerblinked. On Thursday, Hoecker had said the Commission intended toproceed with a vote on MarketLink despite Whitman’s threat that thestate would sue if the project was approved. But he did a completeabout-face the following day by pulling the MarketLink,Independence Pipeline and SupplyLink projects from the agenda forTuesday’s pre-Thanksgiving meeting. A FERC statement simply saidthe orders wouldn’t be completed in time.

A battle is brewing in Tennessee to determine exactly whatconstitutes “retail distribution.” On one side is a nascentpipeline company and Tennessee producer that wants to make directsales to industrial end-users. On the other is a group of about 19utility districts seeking to defend what they view as theirstate-granted turf. The Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) isexpected to decide soon what retail distribution means.