Regular

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, FERC is going to take “very, very substantial steps toward resolving all of the important old business” related to allegations of manipulation of the natural gas and electricity prices in western markets, said Commissioner William Massey last week. But the Commission will not clear away the entire “underbrush.”

At next week’s regular FERC meeting, the Commission is going to take “very, very substantial steps toward resolving all of the important old business” related to allegations of manipulation of the natural gas and electricity prices in western markets, said Commissioner William Massey Thursday. But FERC will not clear out the entire “underbrush.”

FERC plans to rule on the “Big Four” cases dealing with the alleged manipulation of the California natural gas and electricity markets at its next regular meeting on March 26, Chairman Pat Wood said last Wednesday.

FERC plans to issue the “Big Four” decisions addressing manipulation of the California natural gas and electricity markets at its next regular meeting on March 26, Chairman Pat Wood said Wednesday.

FERC Commissioner Linda K. Breathitt was feted by her colleagues at last Wednesday’s regular Commission meeting, which she acknowledged was “very likely to be my last.”

FERC Commissioner Linda K. Breathitt was feted by her colleagues at Wednesday’s regular Commission meeting, which she acknowledged was “very likely to be my last meeting.”

The October natural futures contract plateaued at $3.467 at the end of regular trading Friday, up 13.8 cents from the prior day on a major rebound off a key support level on Thursday at $3.19. Observers pointed to a strengthening in the overall petroleum complex Friday due mainly to Iraq’s rejection of renewed United Nations inspections. In addition, Tropical Storm Hanna in the Gulf of Mexico was forcing some minor production curtailments, and some technical factors were helping to channel futures prices higher.

Gas industry consultant Benjamin Schlesinger, president of Maryland-based Schlesinger and Associates, believes that federal regulators may require all natural gas companies to begin reporting their transactions to FERC in a way similar to what electric companies already do on a quarterly basis. Schlesinger, a 30-year gas industry veteran and former vice president at the American Gas Association, said in an interview that he wouldn’t be surprised at all if FERC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking on the matter sometime between now and December.

An eagerly anticipated comprehensive study of the nation’s electrical transmission highway unveiled last Wednesday by the Department of Energy (DOE) recommends that the federal agency review the grid every two years to pinpoint “national interest” transmission bottlenecks. The report also says that Congress should give FERC limited federal transmission siting authority and recommends that regional transmission organizations (RTOs) be made responsible for ensuring that transmission bottlenecks are addressed.