Meeting

FERC at its Wednesday meeting issued Kern River a certificate to build its long-awaited 2003 expansion project, which would more than double the existing capacity of the Wyoming-to-California pipeline. The move opens the door for the construction of a huge new conduit for nearly 900 MMcf/d of additional natural gas to exit the Rocky Mountain region and head to the flood of new power plants in Nevada and California starting next May.

FERC at its Wednesday meeting issued Kern River a certificate to build its long-awaited 2003 expansion project, which would more than double the existing capacity of the Wyoming-to-California pipeline. The move opens the door for the construction of a huge new conduit for nearly 900 MMcf/d of additional natural gas to exit the Rocky Mountain region and head to the flood of new power plants in Nevada and California starting next May.

A veteran energy consultant told a national meeting of state regulators Tuesday in Portland, OR, that the United States in the years ahead can expect higher natural gas prices that will dampen demand and declining gas resource base.

A veteran energy consultant told a national meeting of state regulators Tuesday in Portland, OR, that the United States in the years ahead can expect higher natural gas prices that will dampen demand and declining gas resource base.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last Thursday voted out legislation that seeks to cut emissions of power plant pollutants, but several lawmakers predicted that the bill, S. 556, will not be able to muster the votes needed to pass the full Senate. They voiced concerns that it would result in dramatic fuel switching to natural gas, which they charged could threaten the reliability of the nation’s electric power system.

In a company meeting in Houston last Thursday, Enron CEO Stephen Cooper revealed that the company owes creditors at least $11 billion more than it estimated in its original bankruptcy filing, but the figure could go as high as $50 billion more. Enron listed $31.2 billion in debts when it filed for bankruptcy in December.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in last meeting of the year last week asked for comments on whether it should require approximately 1,200 power marketers to file financial reports on their derivative and hedging positions.

Although the agenda for Wednesday’s FERC meeting — the last one of 2001 — is top-heavy with electricity, there are several key natural gas items slated for action, ranging from stepped-up reporting of derivatives and hedging activities to the El Paso Natural Gas complaint investigation, to two embattled gas pipeline projects that have been pending at the Commission since the Hoecker administration.

Although the agenda for Wednesday’s FERC meeting — the last one of 2001 — is top-heavy in electricity, there are several key natural gas items slated for action, ranging from stepped-up reporting of derivatives and hedging activities to the El Paso Natural Gas complaint investigation, to two embattled gas pipeline projects that have been pending at the Commission for years.