National Regulatory Research Institute - Survey on State Commission and Local Gas Dist. Co. Actions in Addressing High Natural Gas Prices

Home

New Information for the Regulatory Community

Survey on State Commission and Local Gas Dist. Co. Actions in Addressing High Natural Gas Prices

About Us

Director's Monthly Essays on Regulatory Quality

Click HERE for all essays

Need a Break from Regulation?

New from NRRI

Click HERE for All Recent NRRI Pubs.

New Information for the Regulatory Community

Utility and Regulatory Hedging Policies, by Mike Gettings of Pace
Survey on State Commission and Local Gas Dist. Co. Actions in Addressing High Natural Gas Prices

Survey on State Commission and Local Gas Dist. Co. Actions in Addressing High Natural Gas Prices

Ken Zimmerman of the Oregon Public Utility Commission Gas developed and distributed a survey on July 3, 2008 to the NARUC Staff Subcommittee on Gas. The survey asked questions on nine categories relating to how states and local gas distribution companies (LDCs) have responded to high natural gas prices. It specifically asked what current actions state commissions and LCDs are taking or have taken to address the possibility of residential customers facing high and volatile natural gas prices during the winter of 2008-2009 and beyond. Twenty state commissions replied to the survey.[1] The NARUC publication, The 2008 Natural Gas Information "Toolkit", summarizes the replies. Interested readers can view the replies of individual states to the nine categories of questions by going to the links provided below.

SURVEY QUESTIONS

State: ___________________

Category of Action	How it works in your State (please enter NA if not offered or available in your State) (Replies found in the links identified below)
1. Education: Publications Public meetings Conferences Other	Education.rtf
2. Energy conservation: Energy efficiency Weatherization DSM programs Energy audits Other	EnergyConservation1.rtf EnergyConservation2. rtf
3. Bill-payment assistance: LIHEAP Public state assistance Private assistance programs Other	Bill-PaymentAssistance1.rtf Bill-PaymentAssistance2.rtf
4. Budgeting tools for customers: Internet bill calculation tools Usage history on bills Non-internet based tools (e.g., as bill stuffers, pick-up at the Commission) Other	BudgetingToolsforCustomers1.rtf BudgetingToolsforCustomers2.rtf
5. Actions by LDCs: Levelized/Budget billing plans Fixed rate/bill plans Other	ActionsbyLDCs1.rtf ActionsbyLDCs2.rtf
6. Hedging activities by LDCs: Financial Physical Other	LDCHedging1.rtf LDCHedging2.rtf
7. Purchased Gas Adjustment Mechanisms (PGAs) for LDCs and Fuel Cost Adjustment Mechanisms (FCAs) for electric utilities: Deferral of portion of gas costs for longer period Performance based to encourage lowest price purchasing Other	UseofPGAsandFCAs.rtf
8. Direct actions by commissions: Closer review of utility fuel purchasing and planning Required improvements by utilities in fuel purchasing and planning Prohibitions on disconnections during most stressful weather seasons Other	DirectActionsbyCommissions1.rtf DirectActionsbyCommissions2.rtf
9. Other measures: Facilitating additional gas supply Investigations of gas markets Filings at FERC and CFTC	OtherMeasures.rtf

[1] These states are Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

< Prev

[ Back ]