Issue

After various fits and starts surrounding the issue over a number of months, California regulators Thursday established an alternative demand stand-by charge, called a “peaking rate,” for Southern California Gas Co., which could open up the utility to “economic bypass” by interstate pipeline projects lined up and ready to go at the border. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rejected the utility’s own proposal as “anti-competitive.”

As it had advised shippers the day before, Florida Gas Transmission found it necessary to issue an Underage Alert Day notice Friday. The OFO had a 5% tolerance for positive imbalances east of Station 12 in north-central Florida.

Stepping up the campaign for power price caps in advance of FERC’s meeting on the issue today, (1 p.m. at the Commission offices), S. David Freeman, senior energy advisor to the California governor, told a press briefing last week in Washington, DC, of the state’s “desperate need for FERC to bring prices down to just and reasonable rates.” The Commissioners should exercise their legal independence from the White House, he added.

Stepping up the campaign for power price caps in advance of FERC’s meeting on the issue next Monday (June 18, 1 p.m. at the Commission offices), S. David Freeman, senior energy advisor to the California governor, told a press briefing in Washington, DC, of the state’s “desperate need for FERC to bring prices down to just and reasonable rates.” The Commissioners should exercise their legal independence from the White House, he added.

El Paso Corp. claims it was set up by California Assembly members to take the blame for high gas prices in the state. It said recent hearings before a subcommittee were a “sham,” and that it was “predetermined” that El Paso would be accused on wrongdoing in a report approved by the subcommittee majority yesterday.

The issue of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge(ANWR) in Alaska continues to heat up as state legislators continuein their attempts to pry open the restricted lands to natural gasand oil production. Members of the Alaska state legislature were inWashington, DC this week pleading there case for lease sales in thecontested area to begin in the near future, while trying to lay oldmyths to rest regarding the environmental impact.

The issue of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge(ANWR) in Alaska continues to heat up as state legislators continuein their attempts to pry open the restricted lands to natural gasand oil production. Members of the Alaska state legislature were inWashington, DC last week pleading their case for lease sales in thecontested area to begin in the near future, while trying to lay oldmyths to rest regarding the environmental impact.

As Pacific Gas & Electric Co. announced Friday it wasdefaulting on payments to power generators, the state of Californiawas issuing an RFP to bankers for a plan to issue bonds to raise upto $10 billion to finance power purchases for the PG&E utilityand SoCal Edison. The banks have until Wednesday to respond.

As it had warned earlier (see Daily GPI, Dec. 12), ANR saidFriday it will issue an OFO restricting receipts into its Southeastsystem with Btu content exceeding 1,050 per cubic foot. The OFOstarts Jan. 1, 2001 and will remain in effect until further notice.It was caused by “the current and scheduled shutdown of numerousprocessing plants on ANR’s system,” the pipeline said. Therestriction will not apply to receipts that are dedicated andconfirmed by a known processing plant that is in operation and/orwhere the heat content of the receipts exceeds 1,050 Btus per cubicfoot but the pentanes (C5+) and heavier components do not exceed0.05 gallons per Mcf, ANR said.