Secretary

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last weekvoted out the controversial nomination of Gale Norton for secretaryof the Department of Interior.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee yesterdayvoted out the controversial nomination of Gale Norton for secretaryof the Department of Interior.

Energy Secretary nominee Spencer Abraham said during his Senateconfirmation hearing last Thursday that the grave power crisisfacing California would be a priority of the Bush White House. Butno sooner had those words been uttered than incoming PresidentGeorge W. Bush essentially wiped his hands clean of the state’sproblems. Key Senate Republicans as well urged Abraham and the BushWhite House to take a hands-off approach to the continuing crisis.

Judging from the comments expressed at yesterday’s Senateconfirmation hearing for Energy Secretary nominee Spencer Abraham,California isn’t likely to get much help from the Republicans inCongress for its ailing electricity market, but the Bush WhiteHouse could offer some hope.

Making himself a domestic energy diplomat moving betweenmeetings in Washington, DC, and the West, Energy Secretary BillRichardson last week supported the need for a western regionalwholesale power price cap as he extended for another week hisearlier emergency order requiring generators and marketers to makepower available to the continuing tight California market to avoidthe threat of rolling blackouts. The order, which was first issuedon Dec. 14, expired Tuesday at midnight. The new order will remainin effect until Dec. 27, unless modified.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has extended for another weekhis earlier emergency order requiring generators and marketers tomake power available to the California market to avoid the threatof rolling blackouts. The order, which was first issued on Dec. 14,expired Tuesday at midnight (Pacific time). The new order willremain in effect until Dec. 27, unless modified.

Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the HouseCommerce Committee, has called on Transportation Secretary RodneyE. Slater to undertake a “thorough review and restructuring” of thedepartment’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) in the wake of a newreport that contends the agency has become too cozy with thepipelines it is supposed to be regulating.

Just as the Department of Energy (DOE) reacted to public outcryover high oil and gasoline prices, Energy Secretary Bill Richardsonand FERC need to find out why wholesale natural gas prices havesoared to more than $4 since the start of the year and preparecustomers for possibly higher gas bills next winter, a majormunicipal gas group said last week.

Just as the Department of Energy (DOE) reacted to public outcryover high oil and gasoline prices, Energy Secretary Bill Richardsonand FERC need to find out why wholesale natural gas prices havesoared to more than $4 since the start of the year and preparecustomers for possibly higher gas bills next winter, a majormunicipal gas group said yesterday.