Wants

FERC last week told Columbia Energy Group to check the lifesigns of the $650 million Millennium Pipeline project and provide adiagnosis within 20 days so the Commission can complete work on theproject’s final enviromental impact statement. The 442-mile projectwould bring about 714 MMcf/d of gas from Canada under Lake Erie tothe New York metropolitan area.

A new Department of Energy (DOE) report is expected to show morenatural gas pipelines are needed to the Northeast. Secretary BillRichardson earlier this week pledged to seek Congressional help inthis area in order to reduce the region’s historic dependence onhigher-priced heating oil.

With barely six months under his belt in a six-year appointment,one of California Gov. Gray Davis’ two new state regulatorycommissioners, Joel Hyatt, announced this week that he will resignin January to be replaced by a current top-level Davis cabinetmember, Loretta Lynch, 37, an attorney who heads Davis’planning/research office in Sacramento.

Wild speculation last week that Chevron was courting Phillips Petroleum proved to be false as Phillips management told analysts the company is not interested in marriage. The Bartlesville, OK-based major producer is, however, interested in selling GPM Gas Corp., its natural-gas gathering, processing and marketing subsidiary, and may form joint ventures with other companies on chemicals and refining and marketing so that it can concentrate mainly on exploration and production.

FERC announced yesterday it wants to hold a half-day publicconference Sept. 29 to address the “steady flow” of Congressionalinquiries into the Independence and MarketLink pipeline projects.The conference will be used to gather “supplemental information” onthe projects, but the Commission said it does not intend to reopenthe record on them.

While Coastal Corp. and Williams-Transco compete to build aTrans-Gulf of Mexico pipeline from Alabama to Florida, they may beable to count on little opposition from environmentalists. However,they should at least expect them to kibitz.

While Coastal Corp. and Williams-Transco compete to build a Trans-Gulf of Mexico pipeline from Alabama to Florida, they may be able to count on little opposition from environmentalists. However, they should at least expect them to kibitz.

UtiliCorp United wants to buy the rest of Aquila Gas PipelineCorp. it doesn’t already own, but the companies cannot agree on adeal. UtiliCorp currently owns about 82% of Aquila Gas Pipeline’soutstanding common shares.

Saying it wants to focus on its core gas business, PhiladelphiaGas Works (PGW) has abandoned its entry into electricity marketingand several other retail marketing ventures and will reduce thesize of its marketing staff. PGW is the nation’s largestmunicipally owned utility.