Proposed

Natural gas customers in Indiana may be seeing a 5% reduction intheir heating bills this winter, courtesy of a proposed taxexemption by Gov. Frank O’Bannon. O’Bannon said last week that hemay suspend the state sales tax similar to a ban he enacted ongasoline sales in June.

By the end of last week with rising temperatures, peak demandand political heat, San Diego Gas and Electric Co. and theCalifornia Power Exchange (Cal-PX) worked out a proposal for theutility to purchase fixed price electricity through forward marketsalready in place at the Cal-PX over a longer term five- tonine-month period into next spring. SDG&E has asked stateregulators to okay the purchases at their Aug. 3 meeting.

Columbia Gas Transmission has signed a multi-year agreement tosupply natural gas delivery service to FirstEnergy’s proposed 425MW power plant addition in Lorain, OH. The agreement is good for 10years.

A funny thing happened on the way to the FERC: prospectiveshipper Duke Energy defected, but Dynegy quickly filled in the gapas the proposed new long-haul Independence and Supplylink pipelineprojects re-formed their ranks and marched toward this week’s openmeeting.

Columbia Gas Transmission, has signed a multi-year agreement tosupply natural gas delivery service to FirstEnergy’s proposed 425MW power plant addition in Lorain, OH. The agreement is good for 10years.

Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore’s proposed long-termenergy policy has elicited a ho-hum response from independent oiland natural gas producers, who contend it “falls far short” oninitiatives needed to boost domestic energy production.

Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore’s proposed long-termenergy policy has elicited a ho-hum response from independent oiland natural gas producers, who contend it “falls far short” oninitiatives needed to boost domestic energy production.

Electric generation’s growing appetite for natural gas ispropelling rapid changes in the gas industry’s traditional businesspractices that will pose greater challenges to pipeline safety,says the chairman of the INGAA Pipeline Safety Task Force.

Columbia Energy Group shareholders today are expected to approvethe company’s proposed merger with NiSource Inc., which wouldcreate a mega energy powerhouse serving nine states and more than 4million customers, stretching from Chicago in the west to NewEngland in the east and south to the Gulf of Mexico. NiSourceshareholders gave a thumbs up yesterday, with nearly 65% of theoutstanding shares in approval, representing 80% of the sharesvoted.