Grant

Amid the financial calamity facing California’sonce-invincible-looking two major utilities, California regulatorsThursday unanimously approved a temporary 1 cent/kwh rate hike, butthe growing challenge facing the state’s political leaders is thata grassroots push for government-run energy operations isdefinitely picking up steam.

Despite warnings to companies that it was slowing the process togrant water discharge permits for coalbed methane projects, theWyoming Department of Environmental Quality has issued four waterdischarge permits for Pennaco Energy Co.’s House Creek Project. Allwere approved following a 30-day public notice period.

Southern Company Services Inc. last week asked FERC to grant a”limited waiver” of Destin Pipeline Co. L.L.C.’s suspension of itsblanket certificate authority so it can complete a delivery pointto supply gas to a generation plant being developed in Mississippi.

Southern Company Services Inc. last week asked FERC to grant a”limited waiver” of Destin Pipeline Co. L.L.C.’s suspension of itsblanket-certificate authority so it can complete a delivery pointto supply gas to a generation plant being developed in Mississippi.

With a relative whimper, not a bang, a major rate case forPacific Gas and Electric Co. ended last Thursday with Californiaregulators on a 3-2 vote giving the utility about one-third of whatit originally requested. The raise still is quite large, however,at $229 million/annually, including a 6% hike in gas rates. Thehike amounts to about another $20/year for the typical residentialcustomer. Electric rates were hiked by $136 million/year, but therewill be no change in those rates because of the ongoing rate freezethat’s been in effect since 1996 as part of the state’s electricindustry restructuring.

With a relative whimper, not a bang, a major rate case forPacific Gas and Electric Co. ended last Thursday with Californiaregulators on a 3-2 vote giving the utility about one-third what itoriginally requested. The raise still is quite large, however, at$229 million/annually, including a 6% hike in gas rates. The hikeamounts to about another $20/year for the typical residentialcustomer. Electric rates were hiked by $136 million/year, but therewill be no change in those rates because of the ongoing rate freezethat’s been in effect since 1996 as part of the state’s electricindustry restructuring.

Washington Water Power affiliate Avista Laboratories Inc., adeveloper of fuel cells with proton exchange membrane (PEM)technology for distributed power markets, announced the receipt ofa $2 million technology development award from the Department ofCommerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)Advanced Technology Program (ATP).