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Due to “significant decline in usage” at its facility on the Maryland shore as a resulting of expanding shale gas supplies, Dominion Cove Point LNG LP (DCP) Friday called on FERC to clarify that under its tariff it has the authority to require shippers to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) by tanker to its import terminal to keep the cryogenic portions of the terminal cooled or face penalties.

Coming a little more than a week after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said it is overhauling its 914 report methodology, which will likely lead to a downward revision of U.S. production figures (see NGI, April 5), one energy consultant is warning that the government agency’s estimates of natural gas supply are likely off by more than 1 Tcf over the last two years. This under-accounting could leave the United States in a precarious situation once the economy recovers.

The jurisdiction dispute between FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should be decided by lawmakers in Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff and his immediate predecessor, Joseph Kelliher, said during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington, DC, Tuesday.

The jurisdiction dispute between FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should be decided by lawmakers in Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff and his immediate predecessor, Joseph Kelliher, said during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington, DC, Tuesday.

FERC last Wednesday warned interstate natural gas pipelines that they face the risk of stiff penalties if they fail to comply with the agency’s requirement to report transportation contracts containing deviations from their pro forma open-access tariffs.

FERC Wednesday warned interstate natural gas pipelines that they face the risk of penalties if they fail to comply with the agency’s requirement to report transportation contracts containing deviations from their pro forma open-access tariffs.

Congress last week approved legislation that establishes new civil penalties for third-party excavators that fail to follow the nationwide one-call program and cause damage to pipelines.

Futures strength, which had largely been responsible for cash quotes rising most of last week, had its supportive ability fail Friday as the physical market took double-digit dives at all points. Cash traders also had to contend with a weekend warm-up in the Midwest eliminating some heating load at the same time that falling temperatures were reducing cooling load in the western end of the South.

A report by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) released Thursday said competition in the residential and commercial natural gas market has failed due mainly to “substantial barriers” that favor distribution companies and effectively lock others out of the market.