[BETA] Fortnightly

Sound bites from state and federal regulators.

Contel Merger. California removes stay on Contel/GTE merger. Orders equal sharing of short- and long-term economic benefits between ratepayers and shareholders. Fessler dissents, finding that the utility "had not established an entitlement to 50 percent of these savings." A.90-09-043, Decision 96-04-053, Apr. 10, 1996 (Cal.P.S.C.).

Local Telephone Resale. California requires two of the state's major LECs to offer a broad range of services for resale at wholesale rates. Duque and Neeper dissent, pointing out that the LECs provide a service to competitors at discounts from prices already below their costs. R.95-04-043, I.95-04-044, Decision 96-03-020, Mar. 13, 1996 (Cal.P.U.C.).

Gas Supply Planning. Ohio directs LDC to review its 80-percent reliability factor for planning firm transportation capacity as possibly too conservative. Rejects $17-million refund to captive sales customers for "excess" pipeline capacity. Case No. 95-219-GA-GCR, Apr. 25, 1996 (Ohio P.U.C.).

Gas Affiliate Lease Revenues. Pennsylvania rejects ALJ decision directing LDC to refund $1.439 million to ratepayers for mistakes in its leasing practices with an affiliate production company. I-00860023, Apr. 17, 1996 (Pa.P.U.C.)

Heating and Cooling Programs. North Carolina permits LDC to implement high-efficiency natural gas heating and cooling program and to defer associated costs, as well as royalties or rebates, for accounting purposes. Docket No. G-9, Sub 377, May 30, 1996 (N.C.U.C.)

Landfill Gas Sales. North Carolina rules that plans to extract, collect, and sell landfill gases do not subject participants to regulation as public utilities. Docket No. SP-100, Sub 6, PUR No. 79982; Docket No. SP-100, Sub 8, May 24, 1996 (N.C.U.C.). t

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