Rulings

With water tables rising and court rulings going the state’sway, California began the week Monday on a more upbeat note thanany time this year. A federal court ruling late Friday assuredemergency real-time supplies will be available to the statetransmission grid operator, Cal-ISO, at least through March 19,prompting the governor while on a political trip to Washington,D.C., to issue a reaction praising the federal judge for his “wiseand thoughtful decision.”

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) followed its ownprecedent set in early October in rulings involving three otherstate utilities by granting South Jersey Gas last week almost halfof the Levelized Gas Adjustment Clause increase it requested tomeet higher wholesale natural gas prices. The utility hadpetitioned for a 39.7% rate increase, but the board granted thecompany a 19% annual raise.

Favorable rulings on the MarketLink and Independence Pipelineprojects at the Dec. 15 FERC meeting are “absolutely critical topreserve any realistic opportunity” for the proposed facilities tobe built and operating by the targeted November 2000 deadline, saysa senior official at Williams Gas Pipelines – Transco.

Favorable rulings on the MarketLink and Independence Pipelineprojects at the Dec. 15 FERC meeting are “absolutely critical topreserve any realistic opportunity” for the proposed facilities tobe built and operating by the targeted November 2000 deadline, saysa senior official at Williams Gas Pipelines – Transco.

California’s Gov. Pete Wilson has signed into law a measure thatfor the first time allows full judicial review of California PublicUtilities Commission decisions. This could mean more courtchallenges to future energy decisions when the law goes into effectJan. 1, 1999.

The D.C. Court of Appeals last week rejected a challenge bySouthwest Gas Corp. to the capacity-release program of El PasoNatural Gas.

A Louisiana producer has challenged a decision by the InteriorBoard of Land Appeals (IBLA) that held it owes royalties not onlyon the sale of its production to a marketer at the wellhead, butalso on the amount paid to the marketer for selling that productiondownstream.