Municipal

The American Public Gas Association (APGA) sent a letter to FERC Chairman Pat Wood this week applauding the Commission’s action on Monday against three companies who violated FERC’s standards of conduct by allowing employees to share nonpublic, commercially sensitive gas storage information with affiliates and certain customers.

While municipal utilities remain unconvinced that the voluntary system of reporting natural gas prices to publications is sufficient, they filed recommendations with FERC last Tuesday for improvements to the voluntary system in the absence of a mandatory reporting system (PL03-3).

While municipal utilities remain unconvinced that the voluntary system of reporting natural gas prices to publications is sufficient, they filed recommendations with FERC Tuesday for improvements to the voluntary system in the absence of a mandatory reporting system (PL03-3).

The nation’s largest municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Friday filed a lawsuit against Houston-based Reliant Energy and its affiliates alleging breach of contract and conspiracy to drive up wholesale natural gas prices in the 1999-2001 period. The action was filed in federal court in Los Angeles.

The nation’s largest municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Friday filed a lawsuit against Houston-based Reliant Energy and its affiliates alleging breach of contract and conspiracy to drive up wholesale natural gas prices in the 1999-2001 period. The action was filed in federal court in Los Angeles.

The nation’s largest municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), said Monday its legal counsel is currently assessing whether the giant city-run utility will file a lawsuit against Houston-based Reliant Energy for in excess of $200 million of alleged overcharges in a 1999-2001 natural gas supply deal, according to LADWP’s General Manager David Wiggs. “We’ll know in a couple of weeks whether we’ll go ahead with a lawsuit,” Wiggs said during a brief interview Monday with NGI.

Although still revenue and asset-strong, the nation’s largest municipal utility, the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is facing increased local political pressure to tighten up its operations with the giant muni’s creation of a $100 million contingent budget item to cover a “worst case” scenario of higher-than-expected natural gas costs.

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) told FERC that the muni and Duke Energy Trading and Marketing have reached a settlement resolving all outstanding issues stemming from a dispute over several power contracts entered into in 2001 between SMUD and the power supplier.

Southern California’s port city of Long Beach is talking to three finalists in its search for a new natural gas supplier for its municipal utility to provide about 10 Bcf annually over a one- to three-year period.