Regulation

New Jersey’s largest publicly owned utility has asked stateregulators to give it the green light to begin selling natural gasat market-based rates in 2003.

The current framework of regulation and legislation may beinadequate to ensure there is 30 Tcf of gas demand in 2010 and thatcould have dire environmental and economic consequences, the INGAAFoundation said last week in releasing a new report titledImplications of Reduced Gas Use on Emissions from Power Generation.

Any attempt by Congress to re-regulate natural gas prices to putan end to the escalation in wholesale prices seen this year wouldbe a “mistake,” said FERC Chairman James Hoecker, even though hebelieves $4 gas is too high.

One of California’s two newest energy regulators Tuesdayadvocated that the state re-regulate parts of its restructuredelectric industry and re-establish some power he said it has cededin the process to the federal government. The plea was part of apress conference in San Diego designed to assuage concernedelectricity customers whose bills have doubled and tripled due to asummer peak-load price and supply crunch.

The founding cornerstone of regulation in Canada’s chief energysupply province has turned out to be alive and well — andoperating at the expense of natural gas producers.

The founding cornerstone of regulation in Canada’s chiefenergy-supplier jurisdiction has turned out to be alive and well— and operating at the expense of natural gas producers.

Customers looking for services tailored to their specific needsare driving pipelines to seek lighter-handed regulation, includingthe ability to negotiate and deliver those services on thespot-without lengthy FERC proceedings,according to InterstateNatural Gas Assoc. (INGAA) chairman John Riordan.

The fate of open access for natural gas and electricityregulation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may be largelydecided this week if, as rumored, Gov. Tom Ridge names areplacement for trail-blazing Public Utilities Commissioner JohnHanger.