The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) , a Wisconsin non-profitorganization dedicated to ensuring public representation forresidential, farm and small business utility customers, is thelatest entity to choose sides in the ongoing battle betweenCoastal’s ANR Pipeline and the Guardian Pipeline Project. Theconsumer “watchdog” organization voiced its support for Guardianpublicly yesterday, saying the project will provide gasdistribution competition to a state that sorely needs it.

“Wisconsin consumers are being held captive by a lone supplierof pipeline capacity,” said Steve Hiniker, executive director ofthe CUB. The organization represents 9,000 residential and businessmembers. “This monopolistic status is costing businesses andresidents more money to transport and store natural gas andultimately more to operate their business or their home furnace. Wewant Wisconsin to remain competitive as a place of business andaffordable as a place of residence.

“Monopolistic control over the delivery of gas has keptWisconsin ratepayers from realizing savings that competition willproduce,” Hiniker continued. “We think the Guardian Pipeline is thebest option to provide both competition and adequate supply, and wesupport the effort fully.”

ANR’s pipeline system operates virtually unchecked in Wisconsin,said Bronson Haase, Wisconsin Gas CEO. It also supplies up to 75%of the entire states gas needs on cold winter days he added.

Guardian is a joint project supported by CMS Energy, Viking GasTransmission and Wisconsin Gas. The 150-mile, $230 million pipelinewould run north from Joliet, IL, to Ixonia, WI, and transportbetween 750 MMcf/d to 1.1 Bcf/d of firm capacity depending onmarket need. If approved, the pipeline would begin service inNovember 2002. Wisconsin Gas, which has already said it wouldsubscribe to 650 MMcf/d on Guardian, is planning to build a 35-mileservice lateral to connect the Guardian line at Watertown with itsMilwaukee-area distribution system. David Fantle, a Wisconsin Gasspokesman, said the project will be filed at FERC maybe as soon asthe end of November.

The CUB announcement follows a long line of public outcries bothfor and against the Guardian project. ANR has bitterly objected tothe project, and has even sued the Wisconsin Public ServiceCommission over the Commission’s conditional approval of theproject (see Daily GPI, July 26).

©Copyright 1999 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. Thepreceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, inwhole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent ofIntelligence Press, Inc.