Year

FERC will address the remaining gas policy changes on its platebefore the end of the year, Chairman James J. Hoecker said lastweek, confirming what other commissioners have indicated recently.But some of the side dishes originally on the menu probably willnot show up at the table because most of the industry found themindigestible, Hoecker told attendees at the 55th annual meeting ofthe Interstate Natural Gas Association of America in Aventura, FL.A more market-oriented approach to regulation apparently is a tastethe industry and the Commission will have to acquire over time.

FERC will address the remaining gas policy changes on its platebefore the end of the year, Chairman James J. Hoecker saidyesterday, confirming what other commissioners have indicatedrecently. But some of the main dishes originally on the menuprobably will not show up at the table because most of the industryfound them indigestible, Hoecker told attendees at the 55th annualmeeting of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America inAventura, FL.

In its second major energy services move in the past five days,CMS Marketing, Services and Trading, (CMS-MST) announced afive-year energy management agreement with Chicago-based Bank OneCorp., the nation’s fifth largest bank holding company. Neither thefinancial terms of the deal, nor Bank One’s energy output weredisclosed.

UtiliCorp Energy Management (UEM) has been awarded a three-yearcontract to manage the energy requirements of Ash Grove Cement, anOverland Park, Kan.-based company operating facilities in ninewestern states. Financial terms of the agreement were notdisclosed. UEM will manage the cement company’s energy procurement,supply management, contract negotiations, and reporting and billingservices, as well as identify and implement energy cost reductionstrategies. UEM said the deal was important because it improves thegeographic presence of the company. Ash Grove Cement annually usesmore than 6.5 Bcf and 600,000 MWh at its facilities.

One year after opening its entire Ohio territory to retail gassupplier competition, Columbia Gas of Ohio said nearly 500,000customers, or about one-third of those eligible, are buying gasfrom marketers rather than the utility. Columbia serves 1.3 millioncustomers in the state.

One year after opening its entire Ohio territory to retail gassupplier competition, Columbia Gas of Ohio said nearly 500,000customers, or about one-third of those eligible, are buying gasfrom marketers rather than the utility. Columbia serves 1.3 millioncustomers in the state.

After more than a year of wrangling between Oklahoma Natural GasCo. and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) an agreement onwhich of the LDC’s transmission and distribution assets will beregulated and which will be unregulated and open to competitivebidding has been hammered out.

PaineWebber has revised its composite spot forecast for naturalgas prices upwards by eight cents to $2.20/MMBtu for the remainderof the year. This compares to an industry consensus of $2.08/MMBtu.

Slightly more than one year after Midwest power prices spiked to$7,500/MWh from $25/MWh, causing suppliers to default on contracts,companies to go out of business and federal regulators to concludeit was a one-time anomaly, the power market did it again.