Corporation

Consultants hired by the staff of the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) agree that a critical need exists for electric reliability improvements by 2011 in northern Virginia and recommend that Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed route for a transmission line would meet that need with the least impact to the state, the Richmond, VA-based utility said Wednesday.

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) Friday pared down a natural gas utility rate increase for a unit of Tucson-based UniSource Energy Corp., approving a $5 million increase for its UNS Gas utility, which serves 146,000 customers. The vote was 4-1.

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) granted Tucson-based UniSource Energy Corp.’s UNS Gas a 3.6% rate decrease Wednesday for its customers in the northern half of the state. A 4-cent/therm credit will be available to customers beginning Oct. 1 and running through April 30 next year.

Washington Gas Light Co. reached a settlement in a pending rate case with Virginia’s State Corporation Commission that provides “a modest increase” in distribution rates as well as revenue decoupling and performance-based rates, the company said last week.

Washington Gas Light Co. reached a settlement in a pending rate case with Virginia’s State Corporation Commission that provides “a modest increase” in distribution rates as well as revenue decoupling and performance-based rates, the company said Monday.

Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) regulators are planning to write to the federal Department of Energy (DOE) to oppose the concept of federally designated electricity transmission corridors. The ACC is poised to take a position different from neighboring regulators in California who once opposed the concept but now support it.

Expressing strong dissatisfaction with what it considers California’s one-sided energy approach, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) late last month unanimously voted to reject the proposed second Devers-to-Palo-Verde (DPV2) high-voltage interstate transmission line by Rosemead, CA-based Southern California Edison Co. Edison is the majority owner/operator of the existing high-voltage interstate line along the same route.

Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Denise Bode is resigning her post effective May 31 to lead a new natural gas foundation in Washington, DC. Bode, who was appointed to the commission in 1997 by former Gov. Frank Keating, said she is in the process of forming the American Clean Skies Foundation. “Today, there is a national debate on climate change and energy,” she said. “We see policymakers promoting alternative fuels such as wind, solar, biofuels and nuclear. These are all legitimate alternatives — although some much less than others — yet none can offer energy in great abundance at a reasonable price any time soon. On the other hand, burning natural gas instead of the principal alternatives reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 50%. We intend to make natural gas not only part of the debate, but the solution.” Bode said she has talked with gas industry officials about the foundation, including Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. However, she said the foundation “is not going to be a Chesapeake entity.” Chesapeake has admitted funding an anti-coal campaign in Texas (see Power Market Today, Feb. 20) Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, will name Bode’s replacement. Bode’s current term was to expire in 2010. Early in her career Bode worked as a staffer on Capitol Hill and later headed up the Independent Petroleum Association of America lobbying group in Washington.

Allegheny Energy Inc. electric delivery subsidiary Allegheny Power requested permission last week from the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) to recover the increased cost of purchasing power beginning July 1, 2007. With Dominion Virginia Power’s similar filing earlier in the week, Allegheny’s action marks the second such request last week by a Virginia utility due to the rising costs of power generation fuels.