Regulators

Top energy regulators from Canada, Mexico and the United Stateswill head the list of speakers at the Sixth Annual Meeting of theGas Industry Standards Board (GISB), to be held Sept. 25-26 in SanAntonio. Commissioner Linda Breathitt of the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission, Commissioner Raul Monteforte of Mexico’sComision Reguladora de Energia, and Deborah Emes, member ofCanada’s National Energy Board will deliver key addresses at themeeting, whose theme is “Convergence: Making it Work.” Stan Horton,chairman of the GISB board of directors and CEO of Enron GasPipeline Group; and Jim Buccigross, chairman of GISB’s ExecutiveCommittee, will report on the state of the standards-settingorganization. Other speakers include representatives of the FederalTrade Commission, and public utility commissions in Texas,Kentucky, Illinois, and Ohio.

PNM, or Public Service Company of New Mexico, has asked stateregulators to accept a negotiated settlement raising rates 3.7% forresidential customers and 7% for larger customers and resolving ayears-long dispute that has wound its way through two regulatorycommissions and the state supreme court.

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.

Indicating how border-less the global economy is becoming,Kansas and Idaho have begun a regulatory partnership with CentralAmerica to promote energy interests.

Late Friday, Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas and Electric Co.(SDG&E) utility subsidiary filed with California stateregulators to increase one-time rate refunds to about $500 millionto take the bite out of summer electricity bills that have soaredfor its 1.1 million customers due to heat-induced power supply andprice spikes in May and June.

California regulators Thursday approved additional participationby the state’s major electric utilities in the California PowerExchange’s new block-forward markets for ancillary and otherservices. Normally just a footnote, the action drew considerableattention by the California Public Utilities Commission’s fivegovernor-appointed members in light of the recent power crunch inthe state.

As it continues to assuage concerned landowners and perhaps keepa positive image in front of regulators, Houston’s Coastal Corp.yesterday touted the benefits of its proposed Gulfstream NaturalGas System LLC affiliate, saying that the Florida pipeline willpump $1.2 billion into the Sunshine state’s economy, most of thatcoming during the construction phase.

The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control approved afirm transportation agreement between Southern Connecticut Gas, CNEEnergy Services Group and Milford Power that requires Southern toinstall distribution lines and transport 96,000 Dth/d of gas to theproposed 544 MW Milford Power Plant. The electric generatingfacility has a targeted in-service date of February 2001.

The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control approved afirm transportation agreement between Southern Connecticut Gas, CNEEnergy Services Group and Milford Power that requires Southern toinstall distribution lines and transport 96,000 Dth/d of gas to theproposed 544 MW Milford Power Plant. The electric generatingfacility has a targeted in-service date of February 2001.