Rulemaking

In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) Thursday FERC heeded a recent court remand and adopted its slimmed-down affiliate rule in its standards of conduct, Order 497, that bars gas pipelines from giving preferential treatment solely to their marketing affiliates. The Commission also requested comments on whether the slimmed-down version of the rule should be applied to electricity utilities.

In an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published Friday in the Federal Register, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) said it is beginning to develop a regulatory program to implement “Alternate Energy-Related Uses on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).” Among other things, the new program would provide access to the OCS to balance competing and complementary uses of offshore acreage and take into “account the evolving nature of the energy industry.”

FERC on Tuesday terminated a standard market design (SMD) notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) proceeding, bringing to a close an effort first launched in 2002 by the federal agency. The SMD effort was championed by then-FERC Chairman Patrick Wood, but came under fire from various energy sector quarters and faced stiff resistance from certain lawmakers in the U.S. Congress.

In response to the California Public Utilities Commission’s natural gas supply rulemaking last September, Sempra Energy’s two utilities asked the CPUC to approve a merger of the gas transmission charges for pipeline transportation on the utilities’ in-state backbone transmission systems. Integrating the now separate charges by the combined utilities would result in lower charges to retail gas transportation customers, the utilities contend.

In a filing earlier in the month in response to the California Public Utilities Commission’s natural gas supply rulemaking last September, Sempra Energy’s two utilities asked the CPUC to approve a merger of the gas transmission charges for pipeline transportation on the utilities’ in-state backbone transmission systems. Integrating the now separate charges by the combined utilities would result in lower charges to retail gas transportation customers, the utilities contend.

FERC last Monday issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) in which it seeks public comment on standards for creating an open-season process for available capacity on a proposed natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope.

FERC on Monday issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) in which it seeks public comment on standards for creating an open-season process that provides access to capacity on a proposed natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope.

FERC on Monday issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) in which it seeks public comment on standards for creating an open-season process that provides access to capacity on a proposed natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope.

The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking public comments on a petition for rulemaking from the City of Fall River, MA, to establish thermal and vapor dispersion exclusion zones for marine spills of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that would be similar to those for spills of LNG on land.