Files

TransTexas Gas Corp. of Houston said following discussions witha group representing a majority of its parent company’s noteholders it voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The companysaid it believes the filing will allow for completion of itsrecapitalization involving TransTexas and parent, TransAmericanEnergy Corp. Details of the recapitalization plan are expected tobe filed in bankruptcy court within 30 days.

Equitable Gas Co. filed a gas cost adjustment with thePennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) Thursday which, ifapproved, will result in a 9% reduction in customers’ monthlybills. The rate cuts would be effective Oct. 1. The PUC did notdisclose when it would review the filing.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline filed a significantly scaled-down versionof its Eastern Express Project 2000 last week, reporting thateastern markets have been slow to develop and many New Englandpower generators believe it would be premature to sign long-termcontracts for firm gas transportation. The pipeline’s applicationwith FERC calls for the addition of only 168 MMcf/d of capacityalong the northernmost part of its system at a connection with theJoint Facilities of the PNGTS and Maritimes &amp Northeastpipelines.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s Eastern Express Project 2000 is a muchdifferent expansion today-mainly much smaller-as it arrives at FERCthan when it was announced more than a year ago. Last winter, thecompany said there was market interest in more than 4 Bcf/d of firmcapacity along nearly every stretch of its system, from the Gulf ofMexico north, from Chicago and Niagara east and from New Hampshiresouth. But Tennessee filed an application yesterday with FERC toadd only 168 MMcf/d of capacity along the northernmost part of itspipeline at connections with PNGTS and Maritimes.

Houston-based Kimball Trading and Kimball Trading Canada ofCalgary, two of the Kimball Companies, last week filed for Chapter11 bankruptcy protection in Houston. The move caused marketrepercussions last Thursday, the day after the filing, as Kimballhalted gas flows to customers. The bankruptcy filings do notinvolve the related Kimball Resources or the other KimballCompanies.

Coastal’s ANR Pipeline applied to the FERC for another Wisconsinexpansion to add nearly 200 MMcf/d of capacity to go in service inNovember. 2000.

Pacific Gas and Electric applied to the California PublicUtilities Commission (CPUC) to reduce electric rates at the end ofthe electric rate freeze, but no later than March 31, 2002. Thestate law that governs the restructuring of California’selectricity market, AB 1890, gave residential and small businesscustomers a 10% rate reduction on Jan. 1, 1998 and froze rates atthat level. The state law also provided investor-owned utilities atransition period to recover stranded costs. That transition periodends March 31, 2002, or when the past investment costs have beenrecovered, whichever comes first. At that time, the rate reductionswill go into effect.

Westcoast Energy said its subsidiary St. Clair Pipelinessubmitted an application to Canada’s National Energy Board forconstruction of the Canadian portion of the TriState PipelineProject, which would provide 450 MMcf/d of new firm transportationcapacity from the Chicago Hub through Indiana and Michigan to theDawn Hub in Ontario. Project partner CMS Energy filed anapplication for the U.S. portion in November of last year.Westcoast has a 33.3% stake in TriState.

TransCanada PipeLines has filed an application with the NationalEnergy Board (NEB) to build a 61-mile, 36-inch diameter pipelineacross Lake Erie. The line would provide the upstream supplyconnection for the proposed Millennium Pipeline project, whichwould extend to New York City.