Okayed

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Friday okayed the Nov. 18 start-up of the Patriot Project, the $298 million expansion and extension of Duke Energy’s East Tennessee Natural Gas system which connects to the newly-opened bedded salt natural gas storage facility in Saltville, VA.

As part of its ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding, the court approved Pacific Gas and Electric paying $281 million of 6.25% first mortgage refunding bonds that mature Aug. 1. The PG&E Corp. utility will pay the bondholders from its current available cash, which totaled $3.49 billion on May 31, 2003.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last Wednesday okayed a certificate for Tuscarora Gas Transmission’s Wadsworth Lateral, a 14.2-mile pipeline extension and associated facilities that would increase Tuscarora’s transportation capacity by 95,912 Dth/d. The lateral would extend from Tuscarora’s mainline in northern Washoe County, NV, to an interconnect with Paiute Pipeline in Nevada.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Wednesday okayed a certificate for Tuscarora Gas Transmission’s Wadsworth Lateral, a 14.2-mile pipeline extension and associated facilities that would increase Tuscarora’s transportation capacity by 95,912 Dth/d. The lateral would extend from Tuscarora’s mainline in northern Washoe County, NV, to an interconnect with Paiute Pipeline in Nevada.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Wednesdayokayed a process for utility revenues from retail rates to befunneled to the state water resources department (DWR) to cover itsongoing multi-million-dollar purchases of short-term electricitysupplies.

The fate of a $500 million federal loan guarantee program forsmall oil and gas producers and their suppliers (H.R. 1664), okayedby the Senate earlier this month, is still up in the air as themeasure heads for a U.S. House-Senate conference committee and avote in the House.

The fate of a $500 million federal loan guarantee program forsmall oil and gas producers and their suppliers (H.R. 1664), okayedby the Senate last week, is still up in the air as the measureheads for a U.S. House-Senate conference committee and a vote inthe House.

The federal budget signed by President Clinton last week setaside funding to help jump start negotiations among jurisdictionalfederal agencies on an agreement to coordinate interagency reviewof natural gas pipeline projects, paving the way for potentiallyquicker certification at FERC in the end.

FERC has issued a final rule requiring interstate pipelines toidentify the names and addresses of their marketing affiliates ontheir web sites on the Internet. The new rule is aimed at assistingthe Commission in its oversight efforts and at helping shippers tobetter monitor transportation transactions between pipelines andtheir affiliated marketers.