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Referring to El Paso Natural Gas as “perhaps the most dysfunctional pipeline system in the U.S.,” a group of natural gas producers and marketers has called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to conclude “all major, pending regulatory matters” related to the Texas-to-California pipeline system on “the most expedited basis possible.”

California regulators and other state energy officials have asked FERC to publicly disclose the responses of natural gas marketers to agency questions dealing with the misreporting of gas prices to energy trade newsletters that publish gas price indexes.

A producer group has asked FERC to identify the negotiated-rate transportation contracts that will be subject to refunds as a result of action the Commission took against Transwestern Pipeline last month. The Enron pipeline was ordered in mid-July to pay shipper refunds for excess negotiated-rate transportation charges levied during the California energy crisis, which at times reached 100 times the maximum regulated rate. The agency also stripped Transwestern of its authority to negotiate rates based on basis differentials for an entire year (See Daily GPI, July 18).

A group of California power generators — led by Reliant, Williams, Mirant and Dynegy — last week asked FERC to either extend the deadline for comments on whether to reduce the wholesale natural gas costs used in calculating power refunds to the state, or postpone the proceedings related to California’s request for $8.9 billion in refunds until the gas issue is settled.

A group of California power generators — led by Reliant, Williams, Mirant and Dynegy — has asked FERC to either extend the deadline for comments on whether to reduce the wholesale natural gas costs used in calculating power refunds to the state, or postpone the proceedings related to California’s request for $8.9 billion in refunds until the gas issue is settled.

Consumer unrest in the face of substantial retail power rate increases over the past 12 months throughout Oregon bubbled to the top last week with stronger calls for a consumer-county government spawned effort to buy Portland General Electric Co. (PGE) from its bankrupt parent, Enron Corp. The proposal envisions rolling back rates and turning PGE into a nonprofit utility. However, none of the local government entities has endorsed the proposal at this time.

The natural gas industry’s views on whether FERC should continue to waive price caps on short-term capacity release transactions beyond the Sept. 30 expiration deadline appear to be, at best, mixed. But customers in the West are adamant — they want price caps, at least in some limited form, reinstated in markets served by El Paso Natural Gas and Northwest Pipeline.

The natural gas industry’s views on whether FERC should continue to waive price caps on short-term capacity release transactions beyond the Sept. 30 expiration deadline are, at best, mixed so far. But customers in the West are adamant — they want price caps, at least in some limited form, reinstated in markets served by El Paso Natural Gas and Northwest Pipeline.

The natural gas industry’s views on whether FERC should continue to waive price caps on short-term capacity release transactions beyond the Sept. 30 expiration deadline are, at best, mixed so far. But customers in the West are adamant — they want price caps, at least in some limited form, reinstated in markets served by El Paso Natural Gas and Northwest Pipeline.