Consensus

FPL Group Inc. last week said that it expects to meet consensus earnings per share estimates of $0.76 for the first quarter of 2001, excluding expenses of about $30 million related to its failed merger attempt with Louisiana-based Entergy Corp. (see NGI, April 9). FPL Group will announce its latest earnings results on April 20.

FPL Group Inc. yesterday said that it expects to meet consensus earnings per share estimates of $0.76 for the first quarter of 2001, excluding expenses of about $30 million related to its failed merger attempt with Louisiana-based Entergy Corp. (see Daily GPI, April 3). FPL Group will announce its latest earnings results on April 20.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. reported “a spectacular 2000,” with a 75%increase over 1999 and a 65% increase in fourth quarter earnings.In the fourth quarter KMI beat the consensus estimate of 41 cents ashare, coming in with earnings of 43 cents.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. reported “a spectacular 2000,” with a 75%increase over 1999 and a 65% increase in fourth quarter earnings.In the fourth quarter KMI beat the consensus estimate of 41 cents ashare, coming in with earnings of 43 cents.

Seven key electric utilities and marketers proposed five”consensus recommendations” aimed at helping the House CommerceCommittee move comprehensive restructuring legislation forwardduring this Congress.

Despite consensus that the latest storage and weather news has beenbearish, the cash market did little more than march in place Thursdaywith only slight gains dominating at the great majority of points. Asmidgen of softness showed up in the Southwest basins, and theRockies, largely because of El Paso having lifted a low-linepack OFOlate Wednesday afternoon (see Daily GPI, Jan. 6).

FERC Chairman James Hoecker said recently he didn’t expect tosee much “consensus” from the natural gas industry on the majorinitiatives in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) and noticeof inquiry (NOI). Judging from some of the comments that floodedinto the Commission yesterday, he was right on target.

FERC last week proposed a rulemaking that would update theexisting consensus standards of the Gas Industry Standards Board(GISB) with respect to confirmation practices, standardization ofinformation on pipeline Internet web sites and electronic datasets[RM96-1-011].

If there was ever any indication there was industry consensus onthe need for negotiated terms and conditions of pipelinetransportation service, it was soundly dispelled in a letter beingmailed to FERC today by a group of producers, end users, marketers,and municipal distributors. The Pipeline Transportation CustomerCoalition, which is being led by the Natural Gas Supply Associationand the Independent Petroleum Association of America, blasted therecent FERC policy proposal (filed May 4) by the American GasAssociation and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of Americaas “seriously flawed as to undercut any purported value.” A filingmade by Columbia Energy’s pipeline subsidiaries last week also canbe grouped with the AGA-INGAA proposal. An NGSA spokeswoman said ittoo falls under this protest.