Infrastructure

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved pipeline safety legislation last week that significantly differs from the bill that emerged from subcommittee earlier this month.

In the story “Rush to LNG in Baja Raises Questions About Demand, Infrastructure” published on Thursday, March 7, in the 8th paragraph, note that Sempra’s proposed LNG terminal will be south of Rosarito and north of Ensenada.

Not surprisingly, federal and state witnesses disagreed over the future stability of California’s energy infrastructure and marketplace during a Congressional information-gathering hearing in Sacramento last month that was focused on the state’s independent, nonprofit electricity transmission grid operator, Cal-ISO. The chairman of the U.S.House Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, Rep. Doug Ose (R-Woodland) set up shop in his district to hear from a number of state officials, along with Patrick Wood, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Testifying before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit on behalf of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), William J. Haener, executive vice president of natural gas for CMS Energy Corp., said that the interstate natural gas pipeline industry supports the development of a gas pipeline integrity rule but recommends longer time frames for inspection intervals. The congressional subcommittee is currently considering gas pipeline safety re-authorization legislation.

Testifying before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit on behalf of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), William J. Haener, executive vice president of natural gas for CMS Energy Corp., said that the interstate natural gas pipeline industry supports the development of a gas pipeline integrity rule but recommends longer time frames for inspection intervals. The congressional subcommittee is currently considering gas pipeline safety re-authorization legislation.

A plan that calls for more than $420 million of transmission facility additions and reinforcements in the PJM region has been given the green light by PJM Interconnection’s board of managers. PJM Interconnection’s board of managers signed off on the second regional transmission expansion plan (RTEP) for the PJM region last Tuesday.

A plan that calls for more than $420 million of transmission facility additions and reinforcements in the PJM region has been given the green light by PJM Interconnection’s board of managers. PJM Interconnection’s board of managers signed off on the second regional transmission expansion plan (RTEP) for the PJM region on Tuesday.

Business infrastructure provider TIBCO Software Inc. announced Wednesday it had contracted with several energy companies — including Reliant Energy Services, Altra Energy Technologies Inc. and El Paso Corp. — to automate their back-office systems. The Palo Alto, CA-based company has four product lines now being used by more than 800 global customers that integrate enterprise applications, provide B2B commerce and deliver personalized enterprise portals.

Firing a shot across the bow of local distribution companies(LDCs), INGAA Chairman Stanley C. Horton, CEO of Enron GasTransportation Services Co., said yesterday the LDCs are standingin the way of desperately needed interstate pipeline capacity.