Resolving

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday approved a stipulation and consent agreement with Duke Energy’s Texas Eastern Transmission LP (Tetco) resolving charges that the pipeline committed violations of agency rules governing the behavior between regulated natural gas transmission facilities and their marketing affiliates, along with numerous other infractions.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is urging FERC to reject a recently announced settlement between Dynegy Inc. and FERC staff aimed at resolving charges that Dynegy tried to manipulate California’s electricity markets in 2000-2001.

FERC on Friday accepted a settlement hammered out between the Commission’s enforcement staff and Houston-based units of Duke Energy that resolves outstanding matters relating to the Western electricity crisis in 2000-2001. Among other things, the agreement terminates and resolves any issues before the Commission involving Duke’s “wash” trading of natural gas.

Williams last Tuesday said that it has completed its settlement with California resolving most of the company’s outstanding litigation and civil claims related to natural gas and power markets with the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

Williams on Tuesday said that it has completed its settlement with California resolving most of the company’s outstanding litigation and civil claims related to natural gas and power markets with the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

The power delivery system in Texas is in “excellent” shape compared with other states, but that said, reducing transmission constraints remains key to continued reliability, according to the latest study by the state’s grid operator, the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). As ERCOT noted, most of the additional transmission facilities it expects to need in the next few years would be required whether or not the state had chosen to deregulate its electricity market because of growth in major regions, as well as strong demand.

There appeared to be nothing in the way of concrete progress towardresolving the California energy crisis, as much-talked about long termpower contracts have failed to materialize, and negotiations areapparently just beginning on the plan of state politicos to buy outthe power lines of the state’s investor-owned utilities (see DailyGPI, Feb. 20)

No major headway was made in resolving the jurisdictionalchallenges associated with the proposed TriState Pipeline projectduring a FERC technical conference on Tuesday, according to a majorsponsor of the project.

Evergreen Resources Inc. last week reached an agreement toacquire Amoco Production’s oil and gas interests in the Raton Basinof Colorado, resolving current litigation matters between the twoproducers.