Petitioned

The nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) last Tuesday formally petitioned the U.S. Justice Department to open a criminal investigation of American Electric Power (AEP) for what EIP said appear to be “extensive violations” of the Clean Air Act taking place over multiple years, citing allegations made by a former AEP employee.

Attorneys for the long-stalled Island Islander East pipeline petitioned Superior Court in New Britain, CT, last Monday to force state environmental regulators to issue a water quality permit that would clear the way for the construction of the 50-mile natural gas pipeline from Connecticut to Long Island.

Attorneys for the long-stalled Island Islander East pipeline petitioned Superior Court in New Britain, CT, Monday to order state environmental regulators to issue a water quality permit that would clear the way for the construction of the 50-mile natural gas pipeline from Connecticut to Long Island.

The American Gas Association (AGA) has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review FERC’s order eliminating the contract term limit for matching competing bids by pipeline shippers exercising their right-of-first-refusal (ROFR) in replacing expiring contracts.

South Jersey Industries Inc.’s gas unit, South Jersey Gas, has petitioned the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to increase its base rates to cover infrastructure improvements and higher health care and pension benefits. The utility has requested a $42.7 million, or 8.7%, increase in operating revenue, which would increase base rates by $52.7 million. The request also includes a proposed credit to reduce a gas supply service clause by $7.8 million. Under the proposed hike, a typical residential bill would be $23.15 in the winter, however, South Jersey said customer bills are expected to decrease over the next year after the completion of customer payments to cover historical gas costs. The net effect of the price hike will typically increase customers’ monthly bills by $12.34, or 4.5%, the company said. Rate hike requests generally take about one year to be processed, and the higher prices would most likely not take effect until late in 2004. If natural gas prices go down over the year, South Jersey said it will decrease a portion of its request.

The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) separately petitioned an appeals court in Washington, DC, last week to review its earlier decision upholding the federal government’s right to include downstream marketing costs when computing natural gas royalties owed by individual producers.

The Bush administration has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to review a federal judge’s decision in June that blocked oil and natural gas exploration off the coast of California until the state’s Coastal Commission could assess the environmental impact of future drilling activity.

New Jersey and the state’s Department of Law and Public Safetypetitioned the D.C. appellate court last week to review two FERCdecisions giving Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line the green light tobuild a hotly-disputed pipeline expansion through the northern partof the state.

New Jersey and the state’s Department of Law and Public Safetypetitioned the D.C. appellate court yesterday to review two FERCdecisions giving Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line the green light tobuild a hotly-disputed pipeline expansion through the northern partof the state.