Protection

Attorney General Janet Reno and Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) Administrator Carol M. Browner have urged Capitol Hilllawmakers not to approve legislative language that would exemptcoal-fired utilities from legal action for their alleged violationsof the Clean Air Act (CAA).

Because of Peachtree Natural Gas’ filing for Chapter 11protection earlier this week, Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) filed amotion Wednesday with the federal bankruptcy court requesting all177,000 Peachtree customers be randomly assigned to more”creditworthy” suppliers, the LDC said yesterday. Peachtree, whichis the third largest marketer in the state, has assured the GeorgiaPublic Service Commission (GPSC) that gas service will continueundisturbed despite the filing, and is pinning its future inGeorgia on a potential suitor to bail it out of its monetarytroubles.

Houston-based Kimball Trading and Kimball Trading Canada ofCalgary, two of the Kimball Companies, last week filed for Chapter11 bankruptcy protection in Houston. The move caused marketrepercussions last Thursday, the day after the filing, as Kimballhalted gas flows to customers. The bankruptcy filings do notinvolve the related Kimball Resources or the other KimballCompanies.

A major pipeline group fired off an angry letter Friday askingthe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider a “policydecision” that would force pipelines to shell out at least $280million – money that would have to be diverted from expansionprojects – for “unproven” technology to meet a 90%-reduction targetfor nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s final plan for reducingsmog-causing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in 22 easternstates and the District of Columbia should create an additional 1Tcf of gas demand by 2003, said Bruce Craig of the Natural GasSupply Association.

Natural gas should be a big winner as a result of theEnvironmental Protection Agency’s final plan for reducingsmog-causing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) that was releasedyesterday. The plan calls for a reduction of 1.1 million tonsannually, or 28%, in 22 eastern states and District of Columbia by2007. States clean air plans come due in September 1999 and neededcontrols must be in place by 2003.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found some missingelements in the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS)prepared by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on theAlliance Pipeline project which is in competition with Voyaguer tocarry western Canadian supplies to the Chicago area.