The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday imposed a $16.7 million penalty on Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) for “failure to timely report” alleged ex parte communications and “misleading” the regulatory body, a violation of CPUC rules. The five-member CPUC effectively affirmed an administrative law judge’s (ALJ) proposed penalty for the alleged breach of CPUC ethics rules (see Daily GPI,Oct. 29). The penalty follows a disputed ALJ finding that the utility violated CPUC ex parte communications rules on 10 occasions between March 26, 2013 and June 17, 2014 regarding SCE’s pending case on the closure of its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). SCE has challenged the charges. In addition to the fine, the CPUC ordered SCE to develop a public website tracking all of its future nonpublic, individual communications related to the SONGS investigation.
Charles
Articles from Charles
Lake Charles LNG Gets Favorable Final EIS
FERC staff issued a favorable final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Lake Charles Liquefaction Project proposed by Trunkline Gas Co. LLC, Lake Charles LNG Co. LLC and Lake Charles LNG Export Co. LLC.
Draft EIS Issued For Lake Charles Liquefaction Project
FERC staff released a favorable draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed Lake Charles Liquefaction Project and associated pipeline that recommends mitigation measures in addition to those proposed by the project sponsors.
Court Overturns Maryland Order Subsidizing Gas-Fueled Power Plant
A Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) order issued last year that required utilities to enter into long-term power supply contracts with a developer chosen by the PSC to build a natural gas-fired plant was invalidated by a U.S. District Court judge Monday.
People
Marathon Oil Corp. CEO Charles Cazalot will be required to step down in three years when he turns age 65, but the company has a succession planning process in place, Cazalot said during an earnings conference call. Last December COO David Roberts left the company with less than a week’s notice “to pursue other interests.” Cazalot said Marathon has a “very strong team and the company is in very good hands, and succession planning for the leadership team is a critical priority.” Roberts had been viewed by some as a successor to Cazalot.
Industry Briefs
Westlake Chemical Corp.’s previously announced expansion of the Petro 2 ethylene unit at its complex in Lake Charles, LA, has begun. This expansion will be completed in conjunction with a planned maintenance turnaround and will increase ethane-based ethylene capacity by 230-240 million pounds annually in support of the company’s ethylene integration strategy. The unit is expected to be down approximately 60 days for the work to be completed.
Dow’s U.S. Shale ‘Feedstock Opportunities’ Seen on Track
Dow Chemical Co. officials on Monday said a comprehensive plan to connect U.S. operations with “cost-advantaged feedstocks” from abundant supplies of domestic shale gas is moving forward and is on track to deliver long-term competitive advantages for the worldwide operations.
Trunkline Confident of OK to Convert Gas Pipeline to Crude
Trunkline Gas Co. officials said last week they expect FERC to approve before the middle of next year plans to convert a multi-state natural gas pipeline to crude oil service.
Economist Backs Arkansas Severance Tax Hike
Former natural gas industry executive Sheffield Nelson has enlisted the aid of economist Charles Venus in his campaign to raise the severance tax that Arkansas levies on natural gas production. Raising the tax to 7% would mean an additional $155 million per year for state coffers, the equivalent of less than a day and a half of profits for ExxonMobil Corp., Venus said recently.
Swift Announces Midstream Agreement, Austin Chalk Activity
Swift Energy Co. has entered into a long-term agreement for natural gas gathering and processing services in the Eagle Ford Shale with Eagle Ford Gathering LLC, a 50-50 joint venture of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP and Copano Energy LLC.
