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San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), one of the nation’s largest energy utilities, last Tuesday pulled out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce regarding what it called “fundamental differences” over climate change.

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), one of the nation’s largest energy utilities, on Tuesday pulled out of the United States Chamber of Commerce regarding what it called “fundamental differences” over climate change.

Dissenting voices both within and outside the state regulatory process got considerably louder recently regarding actions by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with several billion dollars of impact — a rate case for Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) and an upgrade of the transition to advanced metering for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E). Ironically, at this same meeting the CPUC approved nearly $400,000 in compensation to consumer groups and individuals for contributions they have made in past regulatory cases.

Dissenting voices both within and outside the state regulatory process got considerably louder last Thursday regarding actions by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with several billion dollars of impact — a rate case for Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) and an upgrade of the transition to advanced metering for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E). Ironically, at this same meeting the CPUC approved nearly $400,000 in compensation to consumer groups and individuals for contributions they have made in past regulatory cases.

California regulators Thursday approved modifications that Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) sought in its projected fuel costs for 2009 and specifically regarding the handling of tolling rights under the Sempra Energy utilities’ firm access rights (FAR) to its natural gas transmission pipeline system in the southern half of the state.

FERC last Thursday reaffirmed and clarified a final rule that will provide regulators with additional information regarding natural gas prices and physical gas volumes, allowing them to evaluate the composition and effectiveness of the index pricing regime that governs the domestic wholesale market.

Signifying that it has reached an agreement with six entities regarding a service rate increase it requested in March 2008, PECO filed a joint settlement petition Thursday with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC). The utility, which serves 1.6 million electric and 480,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania, said the increase is necessary to offset rising costs.

Albuquerque, NM-based PNM Resources Inc. announced Wednesday it had reached agreement with New Mexico Attorney General Gary King and union workers regarding the company’s pending $620 million sale of its natural gas utility operations in the state. The agreement comes a month after PNM’s broader sales agreement with Texas-based Continental Energy Systems LLC was narrowed to only include the natural gas assets.

FERC last Thursday issued a final rule and a proposed rule to give regulators additional information regarding natural gas prices and physical flows, allowing them to evaluate the composition and effectiveness of the index pricing regime that governs the domestic wholesale market and measure physical natural gas flows at various locations and in the aggregate.