Stringent

Appearing before the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal suggested that the court modify the more stringent Mobile-Sierra doctrine to make it more accommodating for noncontracting third parties to challenge contract rate cases. The court’s ruling could have far-reaching ramifications for the sanctity of electricity and natural gas contracts.

Even though California utilities have been spending billions of dollars pushing renewables and energy efficiency while preparing for stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission restrictions that start in 2012, a host of legislative proposals dealing with all of those issues and more were kicked around in an all-day meeting of the state Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee last Tuesday. Most of the 34 items passed.

Even though California utilities have been spending billions of dollars pushing renewables and energy efficiency while preparing for stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission restrictions that start in 2012, a host of legislative proposals dealing with all of those energy issues and more were kicked around in an all-day meeting Tuesday of the state Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee. Most of the proposals among an agenda packed with 34 items were passed after being amended with agreement from their authors.

Both of California’s two biggest distributors waited until Friday afternoon to declare high-linepack OFOs for Saturday. After issuing a stringent Stage 3 OFO earlier in the week, Pacific Gas & Electric made the latest one more lenient at Stage 2, with $1/Dth penalties for exceeding a 16% tolerance on positive daily imbalances. Southern California Gas said it will assess Buy-Back charges in accordance with its rules and tariffs to those exceeding a 10% tolerance.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s practices involving ex parte (off-the-record) communications are “fully consistent” with existing law, and in fact are “more stringent” than the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), said a noted legal expert last Monday.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s practices involving ex parte (off-the-record) communications are “fully consistent” with existing law, and in fact are “more stringent” than the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), said a noted legal expert Monday.

Stringent new state, regional and federal air emissions requirements will force “significant” shifts in utility strategies and coal distribution patterns, and they will require utility investments of up to $64 billion to achieve large reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and mercury emissions by 2020, according to a study by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA).

Pacific Gas & Electric set a stringent tolerance of zero for positive daily imbalances in declaring a systemwide Stage 2 high-inventory OFO for Thursday. Penalties are $1/Dth.

Pacific Gas & Electric issued a systemwide Stage 2 high-inventory OFO for Wednesday, setting the penalty for exceeding a stringent 1% tolerance on positive daily imbalances at $1/Dth.