Passed

With recent cases involving major utilities as an incentive, California’s Senate passed a bill (28-8) to restrict the use of confidential information in the California Public Utilities Commission.

By a vote of 10-3, the Senate negotiators passed the nearly 1,200-page report on a broad energy bill out of conference late Monday, but not before the Republican majority on the panel shot down nearly every proposal offered by Senate Democrat conferees. The report was to be sent to the House to take up Tuesday.

A turning point has been passed on the “continental” North American market for natural gas, with Canadian supplies consistently marking a retreat while imports from overseas rapidly advance to fill the gap.

A turning point has been passed on the “continental” North American market for natural gas, with Canadian supplies consistently marking a retreat while imports from overseas rapidly advance to fill the gap.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), noting the importance of increasing natural gas supplies, passed a resolution at its summer meeting Wednesday encouraging cooperation of state and federal agencies in the siting of LNG regasification terminals.

The Department of Transportation’s newly-proposed rule for pipeline safety, issued last week incorporates much of the recently passed pipeline safety legislation, and also extends the impact zone for “high consequence areas” (HCA) beyond the currently defined 660 feet from large-diameter, high pressure pipelines.

The Department of Transportation’s newly-proposed rule for pipeline safety issued last week incorporates much of the recently passed pipeline safety legislation, and also extends the impact zone for “high consequence areas” (HCA) beyond the current 660 feet from large-diameter, high pressure pipelines.

Because Congress has not yet passed a fiscal year 2003 appropriations bill for the Department of Transportation (DOT), the agency’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) said it will assess and collect safety user fees from natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines based on fiscal year 2002 funding levels for now, and then later in 2003 will assess any increases in the fees that are authorized by lawmakers.

Because Congress has not yet passed a fiscal year 2003 appropriations bill for the Department of Transportation (DOT), the agency’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) said it will assess and collect safety user fees from natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines based on fiscal year 2002 funding levels for now, and then later in 2003 will assess any increases in the fees that are authorized by lawmakers.