Voted

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday voted out a rule that will require regulated companies to record liabilities and other costs associated with the retirement or decommissioning of plant assets.

A California Senate panel voted out a measure Tuesday to make the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) into an elective body with each of its five commissioners elected from a separate state district. Industrial customers opposed the measure, which would be a constitutional amendment (SCR 6), saying it would make regulatory decisions even more political. But state utilities so far have voiced no opinion on the bill.

After months of posturing, the California Public Utility Commission on Thursday voted unanimously (5-0) to order Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. to file a formal restructuring of in-state transmission pipeline and storage system. The utility has 45 days to make the application, but it has been attempting a more streamlined “advice letter” approach on the subject for more than two years since the CPUC approved a comprehensive settlement on the matter.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week voted out a final rule restricting the general public’s easy access to sensitive information about critical energy infrastructure information (CEII). At the same time, however, the agency established an optional process for the public and other participants in FERC proceedings to request the data that might otherwise be unavailable on FERC’s web site and under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Conceding defeat to the courts, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted last Wednesday to eliminate the contract term limit for incumbent pipeline shippers who exercise their rights of first refusal (ROFR) to retain transportation capacity under contracts that are due to expire shortly. The decision was a blow to existing pipeline shippers, who believed FERC’s requirement of a five-year term matching cap under ROFR thwarted potential abuses.

Conceding defeat to the courts, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted Wednesday to eliminate the contract term limit for incumbent pipeline shippers who exercise their rights of first refusal (ROFR) to retain transportation capacity under contracts that are due to expire shortly. The decision was a blow to existing pipeline shippers, who believed FERC’s requirement of a five-year term cap under ROFR thwarted potential abuses.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has voted to issue a preliminary determination (PD) to Greenbrier Pipeline Co. LLC’s $497 million pipeline project that, when completed, would serve the natural gas demands of the burgeoning power generation market in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, primarily in Virginia and North Carolina (CP02-396).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has voted to issue a preliminary determination (PD) to Greenbrier Pipeline Co. LLC’s $497 million pipeline project that, when completed, would serve the natural gas demands of the burgeoning power generation market in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, primarily in Virginia and North Carolina (CP02-396).

The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) last week voted to hold off taking further action on the GridFlorida power grid proposal sponsored by the state’s electric utilities after the state’s Office of Public Counsel filed an appeal with its own supreme court of a PSC order approving several aspects of GridFlorida.