Confusing

After listening to weeks of confusing and often mind-numbing testimony, FERC Chief Administrative Law Judge Curtis Wagner Jr. tossed parties a curve last week when he “strongly encourage[d]” them to reach a money settlement in the high-profile dispute in which El Paso Corp. affiliates are accused of engaging in illegal activity to inflate prices for natural gas in the California market.

The end of Georgia gas deregulation process is proving to be notonly eventful, but also confusing for customers. On Tuesday (Aug.10), the day before the market share of the 20 gas suppliers was tobe determined, 77,000 gas customers in the state switched fromAtlanta Gas Light (AGL) to one of 20 marketers, for fear of beingplaced on a random assignment list, which actually won’t be made upuntil Monday.

For the third day in a row, the futures market caved under heavyselling pressure Wednesday as traders anxiously unloaded longpositions and initiated fresh shorts. Even major support at $2.24offered bulls no reprieve as sellers pushed the December contractdown 7.5 cents to settle at $2.204.

The American Gas Association sent out a confusing market signalyesterday, reporting 45 Bcf of withdrawals for the week ending Nov.13 but actually showing more gas in storage than was reported inlast week’s survey. The peculiar changes, the association said,resulted from 58 Bcf increase in the full level of working gas inthe country. The AGA said 20 of the more than 40 storage companiessurveyed reported increases in working gas capacity. The newestimated full level of working gas is 3,248 Bcf, which includes a29 Bcf increase in working gas capacity in the Producing Region, a21 Bcf rise in the Consuming Region East and an 8 Bcf increase inthe Consuming Region West.