State of Washington regulatory commission staff Wednesday lodged allegations against Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that the combination utility improperly charged residential customers for reconnection of their natural gas and electric service in violation of state consumer protection rules. The staff of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) alleges 1,639 violations by PSE. Those allegations are separate from an ongoing case involving a $104,300 penalty already assessed the Bellevue, WA-based utility for violating an order directing it to correct the use of its “refusal of service” requirements (see Daily GPI, Oct. 27). The UTC staff is asking that more than 1,600 customers allegedly charged a $13 field visit disconnection fee in error be reimbursed by the utility, following an investigation that spanned from March to May this year.
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California Evaluates Possible Penalties in ’08 PG&E Pipe Blast
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced Nov. 19 it will evaluate charges of alleged unlawful conduct that have been lodged against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) by CPUC investigators regarding the Dec. 24, 2008 natural gas pipeline explosion in Rancho Cordova, CA, east of Sacramento. It could lead to fines of up to $20,000 per day per violation against the San Francisco-based combination utility.
NY Transmission Developer Says NYISO Inaction Threatens Project
Hudson Transmission Partners LLC, a developer of a new transmission line in New York, has lodged a complaint against the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), claiming that NYISO’s “unreasonable and unduly discriminatory interpretation and implementation” of its open-access transmission tariff is threatening the timely development of Hudson’s transmission project.
Columbia’s Penalty, Cash-Out Proposal Blanketed by Protests
A rash of protests were lodged last week at FERC against a Columbia Gulf Transmission tariff filing that seeks to impose strict scheduling penalties and establish a monthly cash-out process that would penalize shippers for imbalances regardless of whether their actions threatened the reliability of the natural gas pipeline system.
Columbia’s Penalty, Cash-Out Proposal Blanketed by Protests
A rash of protests has been lodged at FERC against a Columbia Gulf Transmission tariff filing that seeks to impose strict scheduling penalties and establish a monthly cash-out process that would penalize shippers for imbalances regardless of whether their actions threatened the reliability of the natural gas pipeline system.