Similar

In the fourth time in as many months, the Ohio Consumers’Counsel (OCC) filed two similar complaints with the PublicUtilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) against Summit Natural Gas andThe Energy Cooperative — which includes Cinergy Resources andLicking Rural Electrification — alleging violations of Ohio’smuch maligned choice program, as well as Ohio law.

Mirroring similar action he took last summer in the face ofskyrocketing wholesale power prices, California Gov. Gray Davis onFriday asked his state attorney general to investigate the recentsevere spike in wholesale natural gas prices at the Californiaborder, where prices are among the highest in the nation. In aseparate action, two class action lawsuits were filed Monday inCalifornia Superior Court, alleging that gas and electricity pricespikes are the result of a four-year-old “conspiracy” by SouthernCalifornia Gas, San Diego Gas and Electric and El Paso Natural Gas.(see separate story)

Expressing frustration but continuing its resolve, Texas-basedWestern Hub Properties is ironing out some “technical issues” offinancing with California regulators and now expects to startconstruction in February on its delayed Lodi gas storage field innorthern California.

Despite the fact that it has been awarded similar contracts, GasNatural Mexico charged last week that Mexico’s anti-trustcommission will not allow it to participate in an auction for amulti-million dollar natural gas distribution contract. Thecontract, scheduled to be awarded on June 21 by the ComisionReguladora de Energia (CRE), calls for a $100 million investment inthe heavily populated Guadalajara metropolitan area. Nearly 4million live there, and the Guadalajara contract will be one of thelargest issued by the government for natural gas distribution.

Despite the fact that it has been awarded similar contracts, GasNatural Mexico charged last week that Mexico’s anti-trustcommission will not allow it to participate in an auction for amulti-million dollar natural gas distribution contract. Thecontract, scheduled to be awarded on June 21 by the ComisionReguladora de Energia (CRE), calls for a $100 million investment inthe heavily populated Guadalajara metropolitan area. Nearly 4million live there, and the Guadalajara contract will be one of thelargest issued by the government for natural gas distribution.

Tennessee lifted a pro rata seal through Secondary Services atthe Transco Rivervale meter Wednesday but replaced it with asimilar one at the Algonquin Mendon meter.

Controversial arrangements between pipelines and marketers -similar to the one awarding Dynegy Marketing and Trade sole controlof 1.3 Bcf/d of the remaining unsubscribed capacity on El PasoNatural Gas – could proliferate if FERC should uncap prices in theshort-term capacity market without first ensuring that adequatesafeguards are in place for pipeline customers, Californiaregulators warned.

The futures market sauntered into the weekend Friday in a verysimilar fashion to the way it traded throughout the week-in aboring, hum-drum manner. The March contract was limited to a paltry2.5-cent trading range, slipping 0.1 cents lower to settle at$1.745. Estimated volume was evidence of the quiet trading as only42,085 contracts changed hands.

Amid the fiery criticism of FERC’s proposed auction mechanism,Mississippi River Transmission (MRT) is suffering a similar fate asits proposed tariff revisions for implementing auction procedureshave come under attack from marketers and producers.