Eyes

All eyes will be on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissionthis week as it looks to unveil its final rulemaking on thelong-awaited complaint procedures. With this scheduled action, itwill clear away the first of numerous major initiatives on itsplate.

All eyes will be on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissionthis week as it looks to unveil its final rulemaking on thelong-awaited complaint procedures. With this scheduled action, itwill clear away the first of numerous major initiatives on itsplate.

Texas moved a step closer to a restructured electricitymarketplace Wednesday when the state Senate approved a bill toderegulate electric utilities. The bill is now bound for the StateAffairs Committee of the House of Representatives. Hearings couldbe held as early as March 29. Gov. George W. Bush has voiced hissupport for electric deregulation.

In an effort to attract large businesses to their districts, twoOregon state legislators introduced a bill recently that wouldprovide $20 million in lottery funds to help build a 64-milepipeline. No engineering study for the pipeline has been conductedso far. The bill’s main supporters, state Sen. Veral Tarno(R-Coquille) and Rep. Ken Messerle (R-Coos County), said some ofthe funds also could be used to build a high-voltage power line.

Peoples Energy Chairman Richard E. Terry indicated last week hiscompany was talking with potential partners about building analternative pipeline project that would extend from the Chicago hubto serve the southern Wisconsin market.

The prospect for more liquid energy markets with stepped-upintra-day deal-making is driving development of a second merchantunderground natural gas storage facility in northern Californiawith proximity to Pacific Gas and Electric’s backbone transmissionsystem (Line 401), according to the Sacramento-based manager ofWestern Hub Properties LLC.

The U.S. Justice Department has kicked off an investigation intoutility-owned ProLiance Energy LLC for possible antitrustviolations in the Midwest pipeline capacity market. The outcome ofthe probe, as well as a decision by an Indiana appellate court onrelated issues, may have ramifications for other utility-ownedmarketers, sources close to the case say.

California regulators have decided to review the potential fordistributed power generation as part of a series of three”roundtable workshops” on offshoots of the state’s electricindustry restructuring. The first roundtable will be held Aug. 3,1-4:30 p.m. at the California Public Utilities Commission’s SanFrancisco headquarters. Utility, trade association and consumerrepresentatives will participate.