Regulatory

The state of Alaska Wednesday asked U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Daniel Ashe to reconsider and reverse the agency’s denial of the state’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Section 1002(e) exploration plan.

In the midst of mostly stable U.S. natural gas prices and a steady boom in domestic supplies, utility gas hedging programs have come under increasing scrutiny, with regulators and consumer advocates questioning the overall costs of hedging in recent years.

Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities asked Oregon regulators last Thursday for a better-than 10% hike in its retail residential natural gas utility rates, reversing a trend in recent years in which retail gas utility rates in the state had been plummeting (seeDaily GPI,Nov. 1, 2011).

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has issued air permits to Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. (CPChem) LP, moving plans for a 3.3 billion pounds/year ethane cracker and two new polyethylene facilities on Texas’ Gulf Coast one step closer to reality, the company said.

With strong state legislative support, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday approved new commercial natural gas vehicle (NGV) programs for three Chesapeake Utilities Corp. companies operating in the state.

Consumers Energy, one of Michigan’s largest natural gas utilities, has agreed to spend $1 million to create a response fund for natural gas disasters and to help train first responders following two deadly incidents in three years, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said Monday.

ProLiance Energy LLC has petitioned FERC to expand the scope of the capacity-release waivers that the agency approved in mid-June so that it can “complete its exit of the natural gas marketing business in a prompt and orderly manner.”

While the U.S. State Department stopped short of endorsing the U.S.-to-Mexico Sierrita Lateral Pipeline being proposed by Sierrita Gas Pipeline LLC, it said it has “no objections” to a presidential permit being issued for the project.