Six industry trade associations will ask FERC today to extend by74 days the deadline for industry comments on the major notice ofproposed rulemaking (NOPR) and notice of inquiry (NOI) that wereissued in July.

The NOPR, the NOI, as well as the New York Public ServiceCommission’s petition for FERC to reconsider straight-fixedvariable rate design, “embrace a vast number of issues affectingthe interstate gas transportation market, which, if promulgated,would effectuate a comprehensive change in the current way of doingbusiness…Between the NOPR and NOI [alone], commenters are askedto address approximately 200 separate issues,” the trade groups sayin comments to be filed today. Their request, if accepted by FERC,would push back the comment deadline from Nov. 9th to Jan. 22nd.They have asked for expedited action on the petition.

The groups seeking the extension include the American GasAssociation, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, theNatural Gas Supply Association, the Independent PetroleumAssociation of America, the Process Gas Consumers Group/AmericanIron and Steel Institute, and the National Association of ConsumerAdvocates.

Many of the issues posed in the NOPR and NOI demand industrysolutions, the groups pointed out. “For example, the auctionproposal is conceptual in nature and the details of how the auctionwould be run are not spelled out. This industry [as a result] iscalled upon to step forward and fill in the details.” At the sametime, “the NOI poses many questions of serious financialconsequences to the industry that require a thoughtful response.”

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