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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has conditionallyapproved a new interruptible park and loan service (PLS) to starttoday on Williams Gas Pipelines Central. The service – allowingcustomers to park or request a loan of gas at each of Williams’pools – was designed to give those customers greater flexibility ina market that has evolved from a monthly to a daily business. FERCapproved the service subject to refund and certain conditions.

Ameren Energy started its electric and gas trading business offon the right foot this summer, getting into the market just in timeto make a small killing when electric prices spiked in the Midwestduring the last week in June. The company started out with just afraction of the personnel it expects to have on board by the end ofthe year.

FERC Chairman James Hoecker has announced the start-up of threenew offices, created as a result of the agency’s on-goingrestructuring.

Even though construction of the intrastate Front Range Pipelinealready is in progress and work on the Front Runner Pipeline isexpected to start “fairly soon,” the sponsors have disclosed thatthey are continuing discussions to possibly combine the two rivalprojects into a single pipeline to serve the growing Colorado gasmarket.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-VA) andEnergy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Dan Schaefer (F-CO) tried tojump-start interest in electricity restructuring on Capitol Hillearlier this week by issuing draft legislation that would mandatecustomer choice at the state level by Jan 1, 2001, and wouldgrandfather state retail-access programs that are in effect bythen.

People saw the screen start higher Monday morning and “everybodywas off to the races,” a Midcontinent marketer said. Priceincreases were across the board but by widely varying amounts, evenamong neighboring pipes in a region. Everything basically followedthe Henry Hub futures contract, according to a Northeast trader.However, he and other sources agreed that virtually every point wasbacking off near the end of activity. “People just quit buyingafter the screen run-up,” he said.

Gas prices didn’t care that Monday marked the official start of1998’s Atlantic hurricane season. What did impress them wasblistering heat in the Gulf Coast producing states of Louisiana andTexas. With more gas than usual being kept at home for airconditioning load, the Midwest and Northeast market areas-thoughconsiderably cooler than Down South-had to pony up a few extracents in competition. The futures screen run-up contributed to thegeneral cash bullishness, sources said.

Columbia Energy CEO Oliver G. (Rick) Richard gazed deep into acrystal ball yesterday for the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgiaand saw thousands of municipal gas customers using the Internet tochoose from among a plethora of alternative gas suppliers. All themunicipals saw through that crystal, however, was Richard on theother side.

Nautilus Pipeline said it is on track to begin receiving gasagain at Ship Shoal 207 at the start of the May 1 gas day.Processing of a large condensate slug at Exxon’s Garden City Plantonshore Louisiana (see Daily GPI, April 17) is expected to becompleted by Thursday.