Settlement

State of Washington regulators on Monday approved a settlement under which Kennewick-based Cascade Natural Gas Corp. could eventually pay $2.5 million in fines for violating state and federal pipeline safety rules.

North Dakota is concerned about the “strict timeline” regarding a settlement between environmental groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over oil and natural gas waste handling.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has voted to reduce Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania’s revenue increase request, approving a settlement that would increase annual operating revenues by $35 million. Columbia filed its request earlier this year seeking a $55 million revenue increase to help fund upgrades of its underground distribution infrastructure and training for pipeline safety and regulatory compliance (see Daily GPI, March 23). The PUC said the approved settlement would increase an average residential customer’s bill from $77.33 to $83.05 per month, or by about 7%. Columbia provides natural gas service to roughly 421,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in parts of 26 counties. Since 2007, the company has invested nearly $1.1 billion to modernize and expand its distribution system. The settlement also includes a program that provides alternative options to finance the costs of natural gas extension projects for large commercial and industrial customers.

FERC approved two separate uncontested settlements Thursday, bringing an end to investigations begun early this year into whether a pair of interstate natural gas pipelines set unreasonable rates to recoup costs.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has voted to cut a base rate increase requested by UGI Utilities Inc.’s natural gas division by nearly 54%.

Iroquois Gas Transmission System LP filed a settlement offer with FERC on Thursday, agreeing to lower its rates for shippers in three phases over the next two years and promising not to raise them through August 2020.

Consol Energy Inc. has reached a settlement with state and federal regulators to pay $3 million for Clean Water Act violations that occurred years ago in its coal operations. Consol had been waiting to reach the agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The company has already spent heavily to resolve some of the violations and prevent future incidents. It also has set aside money to pay for the settlement. The government alleged that Consol consistently violated its Clean Water Act discharge permits. Federal regulators started reviewing the company’s discharges in 2011. Consol would also better manage and monitor mining wastewater at its Bailey Mine Complex in Pennsylvania as part of the settlement. The company has been transitioning to a pure-play natural gas exploration and production company in recent years. It has sold $5 billion in coals assets since 2012. It has just one non-operated coal complex in its portfolio.

ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. has reached a settlement with Pennsylvania Attorney General (AG) Kathleen Kane’s office nearly three years after the state filed criminal charges against the company for an alleged discharge of wastewater at a drilling site in 2010.

FERC has approved a settlement negotiated between ANR Storage Co. and its customers over storage rates, allowing both sides to avoid the expense of litigation through a rate case.