Delaying

Arizona regulators and East-of-California (EOC) shippers have asked FERC to suspend action on El Paso Natural Gas pipeline’s settlement of California claims until the company files the complete settlement document. The pipeline’s submission of a partial settlement is “merely a tactic” to delay a Commission ruling in the natural gas-price manipulation case against El Paso, they allege.

Arizona regulators and East-of-California (EOC) shippers have asked FERC to suspend action on El Paso Natural Gas pipeline’s settlement of California claims until the company files the complete settlement document. Submitting an incomplete settlement is “merely a tactic” to delay a Commission ruling in the natural gas-price manipulation case against El Paso, they allege.

It was a busy week for Williams which announced it was delaying reporting earnings until mid-November to complete negotiations on asset sales, then was socked with a lawsuit involving the former Barret Resources, one of the prize assets it is not planning to sell. At the end of the week the company announced it has learned that a few traders in its natural gas trading business have provided inaccurate pricing information to an energy industry publication that compiles and reports index prices.

Milwaukee-based We Energies (formerly Wisconsin Energy Corp.) is delaying construction of a 38-mile natural gas lateral extension into the Guardian pipeline project until the spring of 2003, but Guardian will remain on schedule for an in-service date later this year, a spokeswoman said. We Energies is halting construction of the lateral through Jefferson and Waukesha counties until next year to resolve some permit and land acquisition issues.

Belatedly, after delaying a decision for several months, California regulators are expected to okay Southern California Gas Co.’s proposal to free up 14 Bcf of previous cushion gas at two of its underground storage fields and sell the supplies on the open market. It was originally proposed in the days of shorter supplies and higher wholesale prices. A vote Wednesday is expected, according to state regulator Geoffrey Brown, briefing news media Tuesday.