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Urging retail customers to seek bill payment plans this winter, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Tuesday approved rate hikes for the state’s three principal natural gas distribution utilities, effective Friday (Oct. 1). Increases will range from 7.9% to 20.6%, attributable to the record high prices in the wholesale gas markets, the PUC said.

A bipartisan group of 36 senators has called on Appropriations Committee leaders to set aside $600 million in emergency funding to assist senior citizens and low-income families with soaring energy costs this upcoming winter.

FERC should clarify a recent order in which it ordered Enron to forfeit $32.5 million in unjust profits by confirming that it didn’t intend to exclude from the scope of the proceeding Enron contracts that were executed from Jan. 16, 1997 to June 25, 2003 and under which Enron “continues to demand, but has not yet collected, unjust profits in the form of termination payments,” a collection of western-based electric utilities, state attorney generals and utility regulators said on Wednesday.

A major interstate natural gas pipeline group last Tuesday called on a House subcommittee to consider granting pipelines an antitrust waiver so that they can coordinate their integrity assessments and repair activities to avoid spikes in already-high gas prices and service disruptions.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may require independent auditors to examine energy companies’ proved oil and natural gas reserves in the wake of the major reserve write-downs by Royal Dutch/Shell Group and El Paso Corp. this year, according to an SEC memorandum that was sent to Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) last month.

A major interstate natural gas pipeline group on Tuesday called on a House subcommittee to consider granting pipelines an antitrust waiver so that they can coordinate their integrity assessments and repair activities to avoid spikes in already-high gas prices and service disruptions.

Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) last Wednesday asked FERC Chairman Patrick Wood to reopen FERC’s investigation into Enron’s trading practices during the 2000-2001 Western energy crisis and to explain how the agency will respond to new evidence of “extensive and deliberate” trading manipulations, particularly in the context of disputed energy cost refunds and long term energy contracts to which Enron was a party.

A General Accounting Office (GAO) report issued last Tuesday was unable to conclusively determine whether the Interior Department’s program for accepting royalty payments from oil and natural gas producers in-kind is a success or flop due to the agency’s lack of documentation and adequate controls over the program.

A General Accounting Office (GAO) report issued Tuesday was unable to conclusively determine whether the Interior Department’s program for accepting royalty payments from oil and natural gas producers in-kind is a success or flop due to the agency’s lack of documentation and adequate controls over the program.