After being delayed a half-hour by chanting consumers opposingrate increases in a standing-room-only hearing room, the CaliforniaPublic Utilities Commission Tuesday raised electric rates on apermanent basis by up to 40%. The CPUC also took other actionsdirecting the two of the state’s major investor-owned utilities toresume paying small independent power producers known as”qualifying facilities” (QFs) and the state Department of WaterResources for wholesale spot supplies.
Votes
Articles from Votes
CPUC Votes to Keep Gas Flowing
A special session yesterday of California’s regulators gavePG&E’s utility authority to amend its gas supply deals to keepsupplies flowing to the state past Feb. 7 when the current federalDOE emergency order expires, but it postponed action on anotherPG&E request that Southern California Gas Co. — which hasstrongly objected — be compelled to provide emergency supplies tothe PG&E utility’s residential and small business customers.
Senate Panel Votes Out Norton Nomination
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last weekvoted out the controversial nomination of Gale Norton for secretaryof the Department of Interior.
Senate Panel Votes Out Norton
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee yesterdayvoted out the controversial nomination of Gale Norton for secretaryof the Department of Interior.
CA Votes $400 Million to Buy Power
As the state faced the threat of a third day of rollingblack-outs Friday, the California government enacted legislationproviding $400 million to the state water resources agency so itcan substitute for the two failing utilities, Pacific Gas &Electric and Southern California Edison, in buying bulk power forconsumers in northern California.
KCC Votes Against Customer Choice
Following the Tortoise and the Hare maxim that slow and steadyoften wins the race, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) hasdecided to approach retail competition at a turtle’s pace. The KCClast week tossed out the idea of installing statewide customerchoice and instead chose to leave open the possibility that MidwestEnergy, one of the state’s many LDCs, can, if it so chooses, filean application for a small retail pilot program.
Energy East Gets CTG Shareholder Approval
Marking a clean sweep through the shareholder votes of its threepotential mergers, Energy East announced yesterday that stockholders of CTG Resources had “overwhelmingly” approved the proposeddeal. Energy East said it expects the CTG merger to be finalized bythe end of the second quarter next year. The CTG shareholdersapproved the transaction yesterday at a special meeting inHartford, CT.
FERC Plans ‘Discussion Only’ for New Pipes
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is expected to go onthe record this Wednesday with thoughts, but not votes, on thecompeting Independence and Millennium pipeline projects which arevying to be the last link in the new path for western Canadian gasdelivered to the U.S. Northeast.
Georgia PSC Votes to Investigate AGL
Like an irate mother ordering her child to come inside while theother children play, the Georgia Public Service Commissionunanimously voted Tuesday to order a full hearing into Atlanta GasLight’s (AGL) rate charging operations. The hearings will beginFeb.3 and a decision is expected by Feb. 9. The vote took placeduring a regular session of the commission.