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One of the three-member Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), Jim Irvin, is being targeted, along with a former commission executive secretary, over their alleged roles in causing the failure of the proposed purchase of Las Vegas, NV-based Southwest Gas Corp., by Southern Union Co. Irvin was the star witness at the end of last week at an ongoing civil jury trial in Phoenix.

With much self-congratulation and a unanimous vote, the five-member California Public Utilities Commission Thursday agreed to fully restore the state’s three major private-sector electric utilities to their previous role of buying the day-to-day “net-short” wholesale electricity supplies for their respective customer bases. The resumption of the bulk power-buying role will begin Jan. 1, 2003 — including assuming some of the long-term contracts negotiated by the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR).

California’s often-fragmented five-member regulatory commission Thursday approved an extension of Southern California Gas Co.’s six-year-old gas-purchase incentive program, including slashing by more than two-thirds the amount of incentives due to shareholders through the programs recent successes in lower overall supply costs. However, it made the unanimous (5-0) vote only after a split 3-2 vote defeated a preferred option by the panel’s chief regulator.

The sole remaining Republican appointee on the five-member California Public Utilities Commission, Henry Duque, received a four-week extension to his term to have time to file an appeal of an earlier ruling regarding alleged conflict-of-interest violations involving his ownership of telecommunications stock of a company the CPUC regulates. The extension was granted despite an earlier court ruling recommending his removal from the state regulatory panel.

The California Public Utility Commission’s (CPUC) newest member and fourth Democratic appointee, Michael Peevey, joined in a new coalition majority Thursday on a narrow (3-2), politically charged vote to make the CPUC’s earlier suspension of retail direct access effective on the date of the original decision, Sept. 20. The vote derails the CPUC president’s desire to make the suspension retroactive to July 1 and may have implications for future issues facing the regulators.

Union Gas, a member of the Westcoast Energy group of companies, said late last week that it is holding an open season for firm transportation between the Dawn Market Hub and its Kirkwall and Parkway interconnects. Union Gas added that this offering can help TransCanada (TCPL) shippers looking to meet expanding requirements at the TCPL export points of Waddington (Iroquois), Chippawa (Empire) and Niagara (National Fuel/Tennessee) by letting them source gas from the closest, most liquid supply point.

Union Gas, a member of the Westcoast Energy group of companies, said Thursday that it is holding an open season for firm transportation between the Dawn Market Hub and its Kirkwall and Parkway interconnects. Union Gas added that this offering can help TransCanada (TCPL) shippers looking to meet expanding requirements at the TCPL export points of Waddington (Iroquois), Chippawa (Empire) and Niagara (National Fuel/Tennessee) by letting them source gas from the closest, most liquid supply point.

Michigan Rep. John Dingell (D), ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, has called for an investigation of Enron Corp.’s accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP, regarding the audits it performed at Enron as well as Waste Management Inc. Dingell sent a letter on Monday to the Public Oversight Board.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has asked the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs to investigate the possibility of an improper relationship between the energy industry and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission based on an exchange between FERC Chairman Curtis Hebert and Enron Chairman Ken Lay as reported recently in The New York Times.