Given

Unlike those given to Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) and National FuelGas Distribution, the exemption to the shipper-must-have-titlepolicy awarded to Baltimore Gas and Electric (BG&E) was”unnecessary” and represented an “unacknowledged policy shift” byFERC, said Exxon Corp. It warned the Commission’s decision inBG&E could open up the floodgates to similar requests from themultitude of LDCs that are looking to unbundle their systems.

The Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBT) had an estimated volumefor the first time this month yesterday, but the Board’s managementis not concerned about the overall lack of trading. The KCBT hasrecognized the problem and is in discussions with its customers onhow it can bring its trading floor more to life, a spokespersonsaid, but others openly wonder if there will be a gas pit at theKCBT much longer.

Given that the case is now before a court, FERC is “powerless”to act on KN Wattenberg Transmission LLC’s petition seeking aone-year extension of the construction and operation deadline forits proposed 109-mile Front Runner Pipeline, which was supposed tobegin service this month, says a competing pipeline.

Given modest support by a small screen gain, most cash tradingpoints tended to level off Thursday instead of continuing a slidethat many had expected would last into the weekend. Northeastcitygates constituted the rare weaker market in the East with dropsof almost a nickel as the region cooled off further from a heatwave that set power generation load records early this week.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has given Sierra Pacific Powerand Nevada Power – the two largest providers of electricity andnatural gas in Nevada – a clean bill of health on the antitrustaspects of their proposed merger. The DOJ action came in the wakeof FERC’s approval of the $4 billion transaction last Wednesday.

The White House has given the green-light to the renomination ofCommissioner Curt Hebert Jr. for a full five-year term at theFederal Energy Regulatory Commission. “It’s my understanding thatthey’ve signed off on my nomination,” Hebert told NGI.SenateMajority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) sent a letter to the White Housein January seeking his renomination. The Senate EnergyCommitteeis expected to schedule a hearing after Congress returns fromrecess in mid-April, at which time it will begin to schedule ahearing.

The White House has given the green-light to the renomination ofCommissioner Curt Hebert Jr. for a full five-year term at theFederal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Cash numbers ranged from flat to just over a nickel higher at afew points Thursday, and sources were nearly unanimous inattributing the upticks mostly to the example set by the Henry Hubfutures contract. In turn, they thought the screen strength derivedfrom the fairly hefty 203 Bcf figure in AGA’s Wednesday afternoonreport on storage withdrawals last week.

California regulators have given the green light to continueindefinitely the three-year-old incentive gas buying program atSouthern California Gas Co., dispensing at year-end 1998 with anannual review of the program, which has even drawn praise from theusually critical Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA) at theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission. The program reportedly hassaved millions of dollars for SoCalGas’ smallest customers who relyon the utility to buy their supplies. In 1998, SoCalGas reportsearning a $2 million award for its shareholders for the latest12-month operations of its so-called “Gas Cost IncentiveMechanism.” Based on benchmarked market prices if SoCalGas can dosignificantly better than the market average, resulting inquantifiable savings for its merchant customers, part of thosesavings flow back to its shareholders, who in this case are ownersof the SoCal parent, Sempra Energy. Shareholders have earned $16million in rewards through the incentive gas-purchase program overthe past three years, according to SoCalGas.