Delays

California’s natural gas purchasing program for about 120 stateoperated facilities, totaling more than 14 Bcf, annually has beenpostponed until June 7 and revised due to increasingly uncertainmarket conditions, according to the head of the state’s buyingprogram in the state General Services Department. Bids in therevised program are due from the state’s seven pre-approved biddersby 8:30 a.m. on the 7th. Sempra Energy Trading is the currentsupplier.

Unexpected delays have prompted Koch Gateway to postpone thestart of maintenance at the Baxter Wilson Power Plant measuringstation until May 30. The work previously had been scheduled tostart Monday (May 22) and last five days. No nominations at thepoint will be accepted during this maintenance.

A showdown that was brewing between FERC and New Jersey Gov.Christine Todd Whitman over the hotly contested MarketLinkexpansion was suddenly aborted on Friday when Chairman JamesHoecker pulled the project from the agenda for Tuesday’spre-Thanksgiving meeting.

Sonat’s proposed $82 million rate hike hit a snag last week, asFERC suspended any increase from occurring until March 1 and calledfor a hearing where opposition to the proposal can presentinformation.

Sonat’s proposed $82 million rate hike hit a major snag lastweek as FERC suspended any increase from occurring until March 1and called for a hearing where opposition to the proposal canpresent information.

Before handing down a final decision, the Florida Public ServiceCommission decided last week it needed one last look at the detailsof a commission staff proposal that would require the state’s gasutilities to file small customer unbundling tariffs by next March.PSC commissioners requested staff schedule at least one moreworkshop during which it would present the details of the proposedunbundling rule to the commissioners.

Acting in concert with a stay issued by the Interior Department’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has ordered Southern Natural Gas to stop its recently-begun construction work in a wildlife preserve along its mainline expansion route into northern Alabama.

Acting in concert with a stay issued by the InteriorDepartment’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission has ordered Southern Natural Gas to stop itsrecently-begun construction work in a wildlife preserve along itsmainline expansion route into northern Alabama.

Vector Pipeline sponsors finally conceded last week their $471million project will not be prepared to ship a proposed 1 Bcf/d ofgas from Chicago to Dawn, ON, in November 1999 as planned. Theproject will be able to ship some gas along a short stretch of pipeat the downstream end between MichCon’s system and the Dawn hub,but about 340 miles of the system will remain out of service untilfall of 2000, sponsors told FERC.