Granted

FERC granted a favorable preliminary determination on non-environmental grounds to the Georgia Strait Crossing project Wednesday. The 47.5-mile, 16-inch and 20-inch diameter pipeline would deliver 95,700 Dth/d of gas to Vancouver Island from connections with Northwest Pipeline and Westcoast Energy near Sumas, WA.

FERC granted a favorable preliminary determination on non-environmental grounds to the Georgia Strait Crossing project Wednesday. The 47.5-mile, 16-inch and 20-inch diameter pipeline would deliver 95,700 Dth/d of gas to Vancouver Island from connections with Northwest Pipeline and Westcoast Energy near Sumas, WA.

Because of the significance of the undertaking, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has granted a two-week extension to the energy industry to submit comments on what makes up “critical energy infrastructure” — an exercise that could considerably limit public access in the future to information about natural gas, electric, crude oil and hydroelectric facilities.

Responding to creditor’s concerns, Enron’s bankruptcy court judge has granted a request for the appointment of an examiner to monitor cash flow at Enron North America. Judge Arthur J. Gonzalez appeased creditors by approving the installation of an examiner, but refused their demands that Enron N.A. be allowed to control its own finances.

Las Vegas-based Southwest Gas Corp. customers in the high desert and mountains northeast of Los Angeles were granted some interim rate relief retroactively back to Jan. 16 by California regulators Thursday, although it does not deter the regulators’ ongoing investigation of how Southwest handled last year’s extreme run-up in wholesale natural gas prices at the California-Arizona border. Normal ratemaking processes were waived because of retail customers’ “extraordinary” circumstances this winter in the relatively colder mountain and desert climate zones.

Las Vegas, NV-based Southwest Gas Corp. customers in the high desert and mountains northeast of Los Angeles were granted some interim rate relief retroactively back to Jan. 16 by state regulators Thursday, although it does not deter the regulators’ ongoing investigation of how Southwest handled last year’s extreme run-up in wholesale natural gas prices at the California-Arizona border. Normal ratemaking processes were waived because of retail customers’ “extraordinary” circumstances this winter in the relatively colder mountain and desert climate zones.

In what was a major blow for El Paso Corp. last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted the request of the Office of General Counsel’s Market Oversight and Enforcement Section (MOE) for an inquiry into whether El Paso Natural Gas withheld transportation capacity from customers last winter in an attempt to drive up prices for natural gas delivered to the Southern California border.

In what was a major setback for El Paso Corp., the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Wednesday granted the request of the Office of General Counsel’s Market Oversight and Enforcement Section (MOE) for an expanded investigation into whether El Paso Natural Gas withheld transportation capacity from customers last winter in an attempt to drive up prices for natural gas delivered to the California border.

Barring an appeal, a federal judge on Wednesday granted Dynegy Inc.’s request to move its lawsuit against former merger partner Enron Corp. moved from New York City to a Texas court. U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon of the Southern District of Texas ruled for Dynegy in its countersuit against Enron, which filed a $10.5 billion breach-of-contract lawsuit against its downtown Houston rival after Dynegy backed out of a merger plan at the end of November. Days later, Enron declared bankruptcy.