Supporting

The states of Washington and Oregon last month filed friends-of-the-court (amicus) briefs in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal supporting California’s contention that FERC does not, as it has asserted, have exclusive jurisdiction in the siting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. They asked the court to reverse the federal regulatory panel’s finding.

Cash prices rose strongly Tuesday as the previous day’s energy futures support was amplified by heating load returning to parts of the Midwest and Northeast and cooling load continuing in California and the desert Southwest. Most points saw even bigger gains than on Monday, with overall advances remarkably homogenous through all regions in ranging from about a dime to a quarter.

Key legislative provisions favorable to natural gas production are winding up on the cutting-room floor as House-Senate negotiations over a broad energy bill come down to the wire.

FERC should act to improve price reporting and transparency in the natural gas market by supporting appropriate standards for energy companies to follow when reporting trade data to publishers and pledging not to penalize companies that follow those standards, Platts said in a filing Friday (AD03-7-001).

Three major New York utilities are supporting the application of Texas Gas Transmission to establish a web-based auction for short-term firm and interruptible capacity on its system (RP02-378).

Three major New York utilities are supporting the application of Texas Gas Transmission to establish a web-based auction for short-term firm and interruptible capacity on its system (RP02-378).

Three major New York utilities are supporting the application of Texas Gas Transmission to establish a web-based auction for short-term firm and interruptible capacity on its system (RP02-378).

Countering comments from labor unions supporting the coal industry, the heads of three natural gas associations in Washington Thursday advised Sen. James M. Jeffords, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, that natural gas is not claiming an undue share of the power generation market. Further, natural gas reserves are plentiful and the delivery system is adequate.

Supporting the current CEO of the state’s electric transmission grid operator, Cal-ISO, and the ultimate need to make it a regional, multi-state entity, the state operator’s former stakeholder board chair, Jan Smutny-Jones, was among the energy industry representatives subjected to public depositions by a California senate investigative committee last week in a process that will continue later this month with further hearings. Subsequent hearings are suppose to look at some of the grid operator’s market practices, particularly allegations that it is giving “preferential treatment” to the state power-buying agency, the Department of Water Resources (DWR).