Places

Boise, ID-based Intermountain Gas Co. wants to expand its transmission capacity in three places as part of a new five-year gas procurement plan before the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The regulators are giving stakeholders and the general public through Nov. 16 to comment on Intermountain’s proposals.

National Energy & Gas Transmission Inc. (NEGT) reported late Thursday that it has accepted TransCanada PipeLines’ $1.7 billion bid to acquire Gas Transmission Northwest Corp., which owns an 1,350-mile pipeline in the Pacific Northwest and the 80-mile North Baja system in the Southwest. An NEGT spokeswoman said TransCanada’s bid was the only one submitted.

In an upset of an administrative law judge (ALJ) ruling, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has opened the door for California regulators, the state attorney general and other parties to try to obtain from energy suppliers certain documents that were submitted to the agency as part of its ongoing probe of natural gas and electricity prices in California and other western markets.

In an upset of an administrative law judge (ALJ) ruling, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last Friday opened the door for California regulators, the state attorney general and other parties to try to obtain from energy suppliers certain documents that were submitted to the agency as part of its ongoing probe of natural gas and electricity prices in California and other western markets.

With its share price brutalized July 19 after preliminary second quarter earnings announcements (see NGI, July 22), the corporate credit, long-term debt and preferred-stock ratings of Nicor Inc. and subsidiary Nicor Gas Co. were placed on CreditWatch with negative implications by Standard & Poor’s last Monday. The ratings service said the actions reflect problems related to the company’s 50% ownership in retail marketer Nicor Energy LLC, “possible improper behavior” within the company’s performance-based rate (PBR) program and the “immediate and severe negative market reaction to the company’s announcements.”

With its share price brutalized last week after preliminary second quarter earnings announcements (see Daily GPI, July 22), the corporate credit, long-term debt and preferred-stock ratings of Nicor Inc. and subsidiary Nicor Gas Co. were placed on CreditWatch with negative implications by Standard & Poor’s Monday. The ratings service said the actions reflect problems related to the company’s 50% ownership in retail marketer Nicor Energy LLC, “possible improper behavior” within the company’s performance-based rate (PBR) program and the “immediate and severe negative market reaction to the company’s announcements.”

With its share price brutalized last week after preliminary second quarter earnings announcements (see Daily GPI, July 22), the corporate credit, long-term debt and preferred-stock ratings of Nicor Inc. and subsidiary Nicor Gas Co. were placed on CreditWatch with negative implications by Standard & Poor’s Monday. The ratings service said the actions reflect problems related to the company’s 50% ownership in retail marketer Nicor Energy LLC, “possible improper behavior” within the company’s performance-based rate (PBR) program and the “immediate and severe negative market reaction to the company’s announcements.”

The downtrend continued Monday morning at the majority of points, with many places down a more than a dime from Friday averages. However, there was a late turnaround in some regions, including West Texas, the Midcontinent, Gulf Coast and Northeast markets, which may set the tone for trading Tuesday and Wednesday until the AGA storage report is released. Despite plenty of time to prepare last week, the colder weather appears to have caught some players off guard.

Warning that “the impacts of the current energy crisis are just now beginning to be felt in places all across the country,” House Resources Committee Chairman James V. Hansen, R-UT, opened hearings last Wednesday on energy legislation (H.R. 2436) that centers on tapping between five and ten billion barrels of oil from the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).