Marketers

The first of the marketers to bow out of the natural gasderegulation era in Georgia is going on the offensive almost a yearafter the company filed for bankruptcy. Peachtree Natural Gas whichis still in bankruptcy court, filed a $50 million suit against AGLResources, Atlanta Gas Light and billing provider Utilipro in theState Court of Fulton County.

Seven key electric utilities and marketers proposed five”consensus recommendations” aimed at helping the House CommerceCommittee move comprehensive restructuring legislation forwardduring this Congress.

Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) advised FERC last week thatmarketers Enron North America Corp. and Dynegy Marketing and Tradehave dropped out of its Phase V expansion project in the wake of aFlorida Supreme Court decision in April that dealt a serious blowto the development of merchant power in the state.

Nevada government officials are continuing to push ahead withlicensing of nonutility electricity service providers and otheraspects of restructuring the state’s power industry, despitefederal and state court challenges by the two incumbent utilitiesthat promise to delay implementation of a more competitiveelectricity market by up to 18 months.

A small group of producers and marketers yesterday said they”fully support[ed]” the complaint in which California regulatorsaccused El Paso Natural Gas and its marketing affiliate El PasoMerchant Energy Co. of anti-competitive practices and affiliateabuse in connection with the $38.5 million contract arrangementbetween the two.

Producers and marketers denounced a recent request togenerically exclude Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) pipelines fromFERC’s ban on “buy-sell” transactions. They contend Williams EnergyMarketing & Trading’s bid for such a waiver is just abackhanded attempt to gain light-handed regulation on the OCS.

Producers and marketers denounced a recent request togenerically exclude Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) pipelines fromFERC’s ban on “buy-sell” transactions. They contend Williams EnergyMarketing & Trading’s bid for such a waiver is just anotherback-handed attempt to attain light-handed regulation in the OCS.

Although FERC’s recent effort to clarify its interconnectionpolicy was a “major step” in the right direction, the ElectricPower Supply Association (EPSA) last week said greater reforms wereneeded to protect new generators seeking to interconnect to thepower grid. It asked the Commission to issue a policy statementthat would “comprehensively” spell out “the rights, obligations andexpectations” of interconnecting generators and providers ofinterconnection/transmission services.

Although FERC’s recent effort to clarify its interconnectionpolicy was a “major step” in the right direction, the ElectricPower Supply Association (EPSA) said greater reforms are needed toprotect new generators seeking to interconnect to the power grid.It has asked the Commission to issue a policy statement that would”comprehensively” spell out “the rights, obligations andexpectations” of interconnecting generators and providers ofinterconnection/transmission services.