Opposition

With some of the first rumblings of local opposition surfacing with major local news media attention, Mitsubishi Corp.’s U. S. subsidiary, Sound Energy Solutions (SES), Monday filed at FERC seeking an environmental impact report on its proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in Long Beach Harbor, 25 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The House late Wednesday voiced its opposition to a provision in the energy bill calling for the federal government to inventory oil and natural gas resources in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Notwithstanding warnings from the administration and even stronger opposition from Canadian officials, Congressional conferees released a portion of energy bill draft language mandating a southern route through Alaska for a new Alaska natural gas pipeline.

The American Gas Association (AGA) sent a letter to U.S. senators Tuesday urging opposition to an expected amendment to the energy bill from Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) that would to remove Sec. 105. The section calls for a Comprehensive Inventory of Outer Continental Self (OCS) Oil and Natural Gas Resources.

Due to significant landowner opposition to the project, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will not be able to approve East Tennessee Natural Gas Co.’s Patriot extension-expansion project in Tennessee and Virginia by the Sept. 5 deadline sought by the pipeline, Chairman Pat Wood told East Tennessee officials.

Due to significant landowner opposition to the project, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will not be able to approve East Tennessee Natural Gas Co.’s Patriot extension-expansion project in Tennessee and Virginia by the Sept. 5 deadline sought by the pipeline, Chairman Pat Wood told East Tennessee officials on Friday.

With strong opposition from the state’s two major private sector utilities, a proposal to merge the natural gas-buying portfolios of San Diego-based Sempra Energy’s two utilities will be delayed until after a newly-ordered statewide regulatory investigation is completed, according to one of the commissioners on the five-member California Public Utilities Commission.

Several western governors are making clear their opposition to proposals that would give FERC unfettered authority to set and enforce electric reliability standards. The governors, in a Sept. 6 letter to Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Frank Murkowski (R-AK), argued that the Commission does not have the expertise, resources or local knowledge to successfully execute such duties.

Wearing yellow arm bands, consumer activists have hit the lobbying trail in Sacramento last week, hoping to beat back a legislative rescue bill for Southern California Edison and any other new energy legislation that could result in utility rate increases on top of the 4-cent/kwh hikes that took effect in a two-phase process earlier this year.