Hike

Columbia Energy Group’s (CG) board once again told NiSource, inno uncertain terms, to take a hike last week and urged CGshareholders to reject NiSource’s $68/share ($5.7 billion) hostiletakeover offer. NiSource took its offer to shareholders June 25 andsaid it will continue to fight for the deal. It had no tally ofshares tendered as of last week but said numbers would be availablesoon.

Columbia Energy Group’s (CG) board once again told NiSource, inno uncertain terms, to take a hike yesterday and urged CGshareholders to reject NiSource’s $68/share ($5.7 billion) hostiletakeover offer. NiSource took its offer to shareholders June 25 andsaid it will continue to fight for the deal. It had no tally ofshares tendered as of yesterday but said numbers would be availableby the weekend.

A rate hike proposal of Northern Natural Gas that has thepotential to cause a showdown at FERC over key policy issues got acool reception last week from Midwest municipals and smalldistributors on Northern’s system.

The Canadian Province of Nova Scotia told FERC it is concernedit could loose royalty revenue and pay higher rates on theMaritimes and Northeast pipeline as a result of Maritimes recentrequest to defer Phase I pipeline construction costs and servicefor one year. Maritimes told FERC last month its only Phase Ishipper, affiliate Duke Energy, exercised a provision in itscontract with the pipeline allowing it to defer using its firmtransportation on the line by a year.