Scored

Marketers participating in the soon-to-be-unbundled Georgiamarket scored some key victories in a decision last week by theGeorgia Public Service Commission which will provide them withcomplete customer information from Atlanta Gas Light in electronicformat, allow them a chance to prove they can do their own meteringand allow free trading of daily imbalances.

Natural gas producers scored a victory Wednesday when FERC ruledthey could post surety bonds in lieu of multi-million dollarrefunds to customers that fast coming due on March 9th. The bondmethod guarantees that customers will receive their refundpayments, and it gives producers what they seek most – a delay inpaying out the amounts until disputes over the refunds calculationsare resolved. The downside of this option is that producers will berequired to continue paying interest on the refund principal aslong as the bond remains in effect. Producers also have thealternative of paying their refund amounts into escrow accounts.