Says

Most of the companies in the oil and gas industry – 94% -report they will have addressed fully by September anycomputer-related challenges posed by the arrival of the newmillennium, according to a survey tracking the industry’s Y2Kprogress that was released last week.

Columbia Energy Chairman Oliver G. “Rick” Richard III saysproposals espousing seasonal ratemaking and negotiated terms andconditions are the most important of the many reform initiativespending before FERC, and deserve priority. Obtaining regulatoryapproval for both will be a “key initiative” of pipelines thisyear.

Columbia Energy President and CEO Oliver G. “Rick” Richard IIIsays proposals for seasonal ratemaking and negotiated terms andconditions are the most important of the reform initiatives pendingbefore FERC, and deserve priority. Obtaining regulatory approvalfor both will be a “key initiative” of pipelines this year.

The only thing John Olson, senior energy analyst for SandersMorris and Mundy, needed last week following his speech at aproducers’ conference on gas supply and demand at the Canadianembassy in Washington, D.C., was a producer to volunteer to step upon stage and be slapped around.

In an effort to attract customers in Semco Gas’ pilotderegulation program, Consumers Energy is offering a deal it sayswill save switching residents up to $70 over three years. Consumersis guaranteeing a price of $2.84 per Mcf for three years, comparedto Semco’s price of $2.94 over the same period of time. Consumerswould start delivering gas to new customers April 1, 1999.

A joint study to be released today reveals that the price datareported by the gas industry’s three major publications – NaturalGas Intelligence, Inside Ferc and Gas Daily – is both consistentand reliable.

The majority of Brooklyn Union Gas’ (BU) residential gascustomers in New York City and Long Island said they want to keeptheir existing utility as a provider in a competitive retail marketor at least have it offered as an option, according to the resultsof market research conducted for parent KeySpan Energy. Thefindings, which reveal a continuing customer connection to LDCs,fly in the face of the New York Public Service Commission’sdirective ordering all utilities to exit the merchant gas role.

FERC last week approved, subject to modifications, a majorsettlement that spells out how Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America(NGPL) will auction off long- and short-term transportationcapacity on its system. The decision was seen as a big win for theMidwest pipeline, with the Commission siding with it on keycontested auction-related issues.

Former FERC Chairman Martin L. Allday has expressed “deepconcern” about the Commission’s proposals to lift the price cap onshort-term capacity and to negotiate terms and conditions oftransportation service, saying they could threaten the successstory of Order 636. Allday’s Commission was the architect of therule that led to the restructuring of the natural gas industry.