Forwarded

The White House this week forwarded to the Senate the nomination of Reuben Jeffery III to be a commissioner and chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

FERC Commissioner Joseph Kelliher last Wednesday said that a proposal forwarded by the Bush Administration earlier this year that would give FERC some jurisdiction over the transmission system of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), similar to what the Commission already has over public utilities, is a “good idea.”

The White House last week forwarded to the Senate the nomination of former New Mexico regulator Suedeen G. Kelly for a seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The move comes three months after President Bush announced his intention to tap Kelly, a Democrat, for the five-member federal regulatory agency (see NGI, March 17).

The White House this week forwarded to the Senate the nomination of former New Mexico regulator Suedeen G. Kelly for a seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The move comes three months after President Bush announced his intention to tap Kelly, a Democrat, for the five-member federal regulatory agency (see Daily GPI, March 11).

FERC is scheduled this week to rule on recommendations recently forwarded to the Commission by Chief Administrative Law Judge Curtis L. Wagner after two weeks of settlement talks related to California’s bid to collect $8.9 billion in refunds failed to produce a final deal between the state and generators.

FERC last Thursday signed off on a proposal forwarded by the New York independent system operator (NYISO) designed to prevent market abuse during times when the ISO’s system is subject to certain conditions such as excessive generator outages. However, the Commission said that it would only allow the automated mitigation procedure (AMP) to be in place during the 2001 summer capability period, noting that the proposed AMP may mitigate bids in situations where market power is not the cause for high or volatile bids.

FERC yesterday signed off on a proposal forwarded by the New York independent system operator (NYISO) designed to prevent market abuse during times when the ISO’s system is subject to certain conditions such as excessive generator outages. However, the Commission said that it would only allow the automated mitigation procedure (AMP) to be in place during the 2001 summer capability period, noting that the proposed AMP may mitigate bids in situations where market power is not the cause for high or volatile bids.

The White House last week forwarded to Capitol Hill the nominations of Texas regulator Patrick Wood III and Pennsylvania regulator Nora M. Brownell to sit on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Western Gas Resources said the coal bed methane legislationpassed last week by Congress and forwarded to the White House forsignature should put its drilling operation in the Powder RiverBasin back on track. The company, along with partner BarrettResources, planned a massive drilling program in the basin thisyear that included drilling 400 wells and 500 more next year, butan appellate court decision forced the companies to put their planson hold.