Negotiated

The broad-based energy bill being negotiated by House and Senate members of the conference panel may not be finished this year, according to a spokeswoman for the Conference Committee chairman, Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM).

Responding to a request from El Paso Corp., California regulators and other parties, FERC last week agreed to push back its decision in the high-profile case alleging manipulation of natural gas prices in California by 45 days to give the parties time to submit a formal settlement offer and seek dismissal of the charges.

FERC made no decision Wednesday on whether billions of dollars in long-term western wholesale power contracts negotiated in 2000 and early 2001 should be scrapped or altered because of market manipulation in the short-term or spot market. The Commission vaguely indicated that the contracts should be sent back to a settlement judge.

A FERC administrative law judge has found no improprieties, nor evidence of the exercise of market power in negotiated rate contracts between Transwestern Pipeline and two shippers on its system, which resulted in the shippers being charged as much as $27/MMBtu last February, far in excess of the pipeline’s allowed transportation rate of 38 cents/MMBtu (RP97-288-009).

A FERC administrative law judge has found no improprieties, nor evidence of the exercise of market power in negotiated rate contracts between Transwestern Pipeline and two shippers on its system, which resulted in the shippers being charged as much as $27/MMBtu last February, far in excess of the pipeline’s allowed transportation rate of 38 cents/MMBtu (RP97-288-009).

In the absence of a state legislative solution or another negotiated settlement to rescue financially troubled Southern California Edison Co. from bankruptcy, a small Long Beach, CA-based street lighting company is continuing its longshot quest to buy the utility and its parent, Edison International, by establishing a network of cities and townships served by Edison to ensure the deal’s economic and political viability.

PNM, or Public Service Company of New Mexico, has asked stateregulators to accept a negotiated settlement raising rates 3.7% forresidential customers and 7% for larger customers and resolving ayears-long dispute that has wound its way through two regulatorycommissions and the state supreme court.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) Wednesday will resumea hearing on a negotiated settlement on rates, unbundling andcompetitive bidding between the commission and Oneok Inc. and itssubsidiaries Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG) and Kansas Gas Service(KGS). The hearing began Friday.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) staff, ONEOK Inc. and itssubsidiaries Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG) and Kansas Gas Service(KGS) reached negotiated settlement of a number of interim issueson rates, unbundling of assets and competitive bidding for gasservices. The stipulated agreement must still be approved by OCCcommissioners. Once that happens, it will hasten wholesale and thenretail unbundling in the state.