Working

Pacific Gas & Electric said Friday it was working to resolveproblems with the OFO/EFO Outlook and System Inventory Status linkson its Pipe Ranger web site, hoping to restore them to operationSunday. Meanwhile, the utility assured shippers that no OFO hadbeen called for Saturday.

Due to an unforeseen pipe replacement, Algonquin GasTransmission will be working on the 30″ mainline pipe on thesuction side of the Hanover Compressor Station. Work is scheduledto begin Wednesday and continue through Wednesday, Nov. 10.Additional station work will take place during the outage.Algonquin said it does not expect any capacity restrictions at thistime. Updates will be posted to the company’s bulletin board.

Judging from a recent survey, the secondary capacity marketappears to be working efficiently and not putting a crimp on gasindustry competition. While deal activity is leveling off, themarket is still dynamic enough to accommodate new entrants,according to energy industry consulting firm Skipping Stone Inc.

FERC commissioners last week finalized revisions to rules foroff-the-record communications between commissioners and key staffand persons outside the Commission. Chairman James Hoecker said thenew rule (Order No. 607) provides a balance that “will supply theclarity and precision we need. They should facilitate better accessto information while ensuring the integrity of our processes.”

Working into the early hours of Thursday morning, the Pennsylvania General Assembly finally pushed through a statewide gas restructuring bill in the last session before breaking for summer vacation. Under the Natural Gas Choice and Competition Act, gas will become a price-deregulated commodity for residential and small commercial customers in Pennsylvania on Nov. 1. Gov. Tom Ridge, who has already voiced his support for the bill, has 10 days to sign it into law.

Working into the early hours of Thursday morning, thePennsylvania General Assembly finally pushed through a statewidegas restructuring bill in the last session before the assemblybroke for summer vacation. Under the Natural Gas Choice andCompetition Act, gas will become a price-deregulated commodity forresidential and small commercial customers on Nov. 1. Governor TomRidge, who has already voiced his support for the bill, has 10 daysto sign it into law.

After working out a compromise on a divisive municipalaggregation issue, both houses of New Jersey’s state legislaturepassed identical deregulation bills Thursday, paving the way forelectric unbundling to begin Aug. 1 and gas unbundling to beginDec. 31. The senate passed the bill by a vote of 27-6, and theassembly passed their version by a count of 59-9, with 10abstentions. Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who sources say helpedbroker the bill, has not said when she will sign the legislationinto law.

Anyone working for a gas company today won’t be in a few yearsif a prediction of BT Alex Brown Managing Director Edward TirelloJr. comes true. “On convergence, I believe that the electriccompanies will buy up all of the gas companies over the next fiveyears, and that will be the end of it.”

Anyone working for a gas company today won’t be in a few yearsif a prediction of BT Alex Brown Managing Director Edward TirelloJr. comes true. “On convergence, I believe that the electriccompanies will buy up all of the gas companies over the next fiveyears, and that will be the end of it.”