Consumers

The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) has published the September natural gas marketer pricing page on its web site in order to give consumers what it said was a true “apples to apples” and total bill comparisons of the differences between marketer rate plan offers. The chart indicates that a bill for a typical variable rate customer in Georgia may vary by more than $15, depending on which marketer is chosen. The price per therm advertised by a marketer “may not give an accurate comparison since some marketers bill certain charges separately while others include them in the per therm rate,” according to the PSC. In addition, monthly customer service charges may vary from $4.75 to $14.75. Georgia law provides that the “price for natural gas billed to a natural gas customer shall not exceed the marketer’s published price effective at the beginning of the consumer’s billing cycle.” Additional information on consumer complaints concerning natural gas marketers may be found on the Gas Marketer Scoreboard at www.psc.state.ga.us/consumer_corner/scorecard.html.

Tropical Storm Bill was leaving relatively little shut-in offshore production in its wake Monday afternoon as it moved over the Louisiana coast. Meanwhile, flatness at the Chicago citygate and Dawn were the only significant exceptions in an overall stronger launch of the July aftermarket. Otherwise, points ranged from up about a nickel to nearly 40 cents higher. A majority of the gains were in the range of 10-20 cents.

The Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) urged President Bush last week to “declare war on high natural gas prices” and invoke his emergency executive power to “bring about the short-term regulatory changes needed to reduce the threat of natural gas shortages and prevent sustained high price levels that are dismantling the nation’s manufacturing base.”

November could be a cold month for gas consumers in the Northeast, according to Weather Services International’s latest seasonal forecast, but the outlook is mixed for the winter overall. WSI’s forecast calls for cooler than normal temperatures on average from November through January in the southern Plains (e.g., Dallas, Houston, Little Rock), the Southeast and the Mid Atlantic regions. Warmer than normal temperatures are expected on average over those three months in the Pacific Northwest, California, the northern Plains (e.g., Minneapolis and Chicago) and the Southwest.

November could be a cold month for gas consumers in the Northeast, according to Weather Services International’s latest seasonal forecast, but the outlook is mixed for the winter overall. WSI’s forecast calls for cooler than normal temperatures on average from November through January in the southern Plains (e.g., Dallas, Houston, Little Rock), the Southeast and the Mid Atlantic regions. Warmer than normal temperatures are expected on average over those three months in the Pacific Northwest, California, the northern Plains (e.g., Minneapolis and Chicago) and the Southwest.

The drive by the Connecticut Attorney General to keep the new 24-mile, 330 MW underwater cable system linking Connecticut to Long Island from going into operation on Monday could jeopardize power reliability on Long Island during the hottest part of the summer.

A newly formed coalition of municipal utilities, consumers, independent producers and energy service companies is warning that a potential natural gas supply crunch and higher retail energy prices are in store for this year due largely to speculator-induced price volatility within the markets.

In his latest review of the California market, FERC Chairman Curt Hebert said that while the levels of interstate natural gas pipeline capacity and intrastate capacity serving the state have risen since the start of the year, the gap between the two has grown even wider and could serve to further constrain delivery points there.

Warning that “the impacts of the current energy crisis are just now beginning to be felt in places all across the country,” House Resources Committee Chairman James V. Hansen, R-UT, opened hearings Wednesday on energy legislation (H.R. 2436) that centers on tapping between five and ten billion barrels of oil from the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).