Hike

Staff of the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) is expected to file a motion Friday to dismiss rate hike requests from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSE&G) and Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E). The utilities have said they face “a significant shortfall in cash needed to make required infrastructure investments,” but Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) appealed to the PSC to deny the increase, which he said “reeks of profit mongering.”

Staff of the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) was expected to file a motion Friday to dismiss rate hike requests from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSE&G) and Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E). The utilities have said they face “a significant shortfall in cash needed to make required infrastructure investments,” but Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) appealed to the PSC to deny the increase, which he said “reeks of profit mongering.”

Preliminary data show that Oregon faces a 30% hike in retail natural gas charges when state regulators determine annual gas cost adjustments, effective in November, a spokesperson for the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) told NGI Monday.

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania filed with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) for a rate hike, its first such request in 12 years, the utility said. The company is proposing an increase of $59.9 million annually (a 10.3% increase in annual revenues). Residential customers using 7.2 Mcf/month would pay $113.94, an increase of $10.99, or less than 11%, the company said. Commercial customers using 43.5 Mcf/month would pay $557.89, up $23.13. Industrial customers using 500 Mcf/month would pay $6,029.45, up $241.11. The proposed effective date for the increase is March 28. However, this will likely be suspended while the PUC reviews the request. The review is expected to last about nine months. The company said it has pledged to expand its weatherization and customer assistance efforts. It also noted that it recently announced plans to invest $1.4 billion to replace aging pipes and other facilities. The goal is to replace about 600,000 feet of aging underground pipes and distribution facilities each year.

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Monday filed with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) for a rate hike, its first such request in 12 years, the utility said.

Petro-Canada and Husky Energy Inc., two of Canada’s largest oil and natural gas producers, both unveiled spending plans for 2008 that hike spending by 28% — but with less directed to Western Canada. Both will build on their oil developments, but Petro-Canada also plans to turn more attention to U.S. Rocky Mountain gas.

As expected, Alaska lawmakers have approved a tax hike worth more than $1 billion on oil and gas producers as their special session ended Nov. 16. In times of high oil prices it is expected the new tax could bring the state an additional $1.5 billion per year.

As expected, Alaska lawmakers approved a tax hike worth more than $1 billion on oil and gas producers as their special session ended last week. In times of high oil prices it is expected the new tax could bring the state an additional $1.5 billion per year.

Producers’ upstream capital expenditures have nearly tripled in the past four years due to increased drilling activity and a significant hike in the costs for finding and developing resources, a top official of the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA) said last Thursday. But despite all their efforts and big bucks, domestic production remains flat.