Step

California regulators this week (Dec. 16) are slated to take acritical step in eventually opening the natural gas industry tomore competition when they decide whether to follow staffrecommendations and push for a natural gas consumer protection lawwhen the state legislature reconvenes next month. Staff at theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission are asking the five-memberregulatory body to adopt a proposed consumer protection bill thatwas outlined last August as part of a report to the statelegislature, which has openly expressed concerns about unbundlingnatural gas to the same degree as the state’s electric industrybecause of customer and public safety issues related to thedistribution and use of gas.

California regulators this week are slated to take a criticalstep in eventually opening the natural gas industry to morecompetition when they decide whether to follow staffrecommendations and push for a natural gas consumer protection lawwhen the state legislature reconvenes next month. Staff at theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission are asking the five-memberregulatory body to adopt a proposed consumer protection bill. Thisis in response to the state legislature, which has openly expressedconcerns about unbundling natural gas to the same degree as thestate’s electric industry because of customer and public safetyissues related to the distribution and use of gas.

Taking a giant step toward successfully completing a 10-monthquest, Sempra Energy announced last week that the Nova ScotiaUtility and Review Board (URB) has said it will recommend SempraAtlantic Gas as the province’s first-ever gas distributor. Theprovincial government, which has the final say in the matter, saidit would issue a decision in the next three weeks.

Taking a giant step toward successfully completing a 10-monthquest, Sempra Energy announced yesterday that the Nova ScotiaUtility and Review Board (URB) has said it will recommend SempraAtlantic Gas as the province’s first ever gas distributor. Theprovincial government, which has the final say in the matter, saidit would issue a decision in the next three weeks.

Dynegy’s takeover of Illinova took a big step toward completionas shareholders for each company voted in favor of the transactionyesterday. Illinova’s vote of approval was announced during aspecial meeting at company headquarters in Decatur, IL, whileDynegy’s was held during a special shareholder meeting in Houston.

While a FERC filing does not a pipeline make, it’s still a step in the right direction. Williams’ Buccaneer Gas Pipeline last week became the first of three competing projects to serve Florida power generation demand to file with the FERC.

Aggregation of small retail natural gas customers is still alive in California, but barely. And it’s future is dim in the wake of new state legislation (AB 1421) passed earlier this month and now on the governor’s desk. The legislation restricts unbundling in the retail core gas markets (see NGI Sept. 13).

Canada’s Far North was the scene Friday (Sept. 10) of anatural-gas industry version of the small step for man but giantleap for mankind on the moon 30 years ago.

Canada’s Far North was the scene Friday (Sept. 10) of anatural-gas industry version of the small step for man but giantleap for mankind on the moon 30 years ago.