Suspends

In the first major action since George A. Schreiber, former chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston’s Global Energy Group, took over as Semco Energy’s new president and CEO in March, the local gas distribution company announced Thursday that it was suspending its $0.075 per share dividend effective immediately in an effort to strengthen its balance sheet, improve its credit rating and fund future growth.

FERC has accepted and suspended for five months a $40.1 million rate hike on Kern River Gas Transmission subject to the result of a hearing. The Commission said the new cost-of-service rates, which total $347.4 million, will be effective on Nov. 1 and in part on June 1, 2005. It denied Kern’s request for fast-track processing of its application.

FERC on Friday accepted and suspended for five months a $40.1 million rate hike on Kern River Gas Transmission subject to the result of a hearing. The Commission said the new cost-of-service rates, which total $347.4 million, will be effective on Nov. 1 and in part on June 1, 2005. It denied Kern’s request for fast-track processing of its application.

Citing the more than two years since its approval and the new investigation of the state’s natural gas utility system, the California Public Utilities Commission Thursday suspended the long-standing Southern California Gas Co. unbundling settlement. What, if anything, is eventually implemented will be decided in a future proceeding after the first phase is completed this summer on the new statewide gas investigation.

Citing the more than two years since its approval and the new investigation of the state’s natural gas utility system, the California Public Utilities Commission Thursday suspended the long-standing Southern California Gas Co. unbundling settlement. What, if anything, is eventually implemented will be decided in a future proceeding after the first phase is completed this summer on the new statewide gas investigation.

Wasting no time in his first day on the job, California’s just-sworn-in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order suspending all proposed new regulations and initiating a massive review of all regulations “adopted, amended or repealed in the last five years.”

Wasting no time in his first day on the job, California’s just-sworn-in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order suspending all proposed new regulations and initiating a massive review of all regulations “adopted, amended or repealed in the last five years.”

FERC last week put on hold a proposed tariff change that would allow Northern Natural Gas to reserve for future expansions any unsubscribed capacity or capacity under expiring transportation capacity contracts that are not subject to right-of-first-refusal (ROFR).

FERC on Wednesday put on hold a proposed tariff change that would allow Northern Natural Gas Co. to reserve for future expansions any unsubscribed capacity or capacity under expiring transportation capacity contracts that are not subject to right-of-first-refusal (ROFR).