Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 23 May 2007 | Tagged as: Electric, Energy
Electricity capacity margins are expected to be adequate to ensure reliable electric service throughout North America this summer, under normal summer weather conditions, according to Rick Sergel, president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). However, widespread and sustained hot and humid weather could threaten that reliability.
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 23 May 2007 | Tagged as: Water
Investors are pouring money into the world’s most valuable commodity — water.
Three exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — mutual funds that trade on stock exchanges — now focus on companies that hope to take advantage of shortages in clean water. The largest fund, PowerShares Water Resources, has seen its assets hit $1.7 billion in under two years.
Why is water suddenly hot? Among the reasons:
• 450 million people in 29 countries suffer from water shortages, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
• 20% of the world’s people lack access to safe, clean drinking water.
• By 2025, an estimated 2.8 billion people will live in areas with scarce water resources.
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 22 May 2007 | Tagged as: Telecommunications
AP via Forbes:
The nation’s largest local phone companies won a Supreme Court victory Monday in a lawsuit by consumers alleging anticompetitive business practices.
The court ruled 7-2 that the suit lacked any factual support for its accusations that the companies secretly agreed to stay out of each other’s territories for local telephone and high-speed Internet service.
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 16 May 2007 | Tagged as: Electric, Energy
The operator of the nation’s largest electric grid says power supplies in its region should be sufficient to meet consumers’ forecasted peak usage this summer. PJM Interconnection, which manages the electricity grid in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, expects peak demand for electricity this summer to be less than last summer’s record.
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 16 May 2007 | Tagged as: Natural Gas, M&A
A federal judge rejected a Federal Trade Commission effort to block a deal by Equitable Resources Inc. to purchase Dominion Peoples and become the state’s largest natural gas utility.
U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab on Monday granted Equitable’s motion to dismiss a request for an injunction and temporary restraining order filed by the FTC in March, ruling that a state panel’s approval of the intrastate deal is immune from federal oversight.
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 15 May 2007 | Tagged as: Telecommunications
The Supreme Court Monday turned down an appeal from an Iowa telecommunications company that claimed Qwest Communications International Inc. owed it money for wireless phone calls that Qwest connected to its network.
At issue in the case, which was brought by Iowa Network Services Inc., is whether federal regulators have the final say on telecom rates or whether local call rates can be set by state officials.
Lower federal courts ruled in Qwest’s favor and gave Iowa’s state utilities board a role in resolving the dispute. By declining to take the case, without comment, the Court let stand the lower court rulings in Qwest’s favor, which will save Qwest tens of millions of dollars in charges and interest that INS had sought.
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 11 May 2007 | Tagged as: Electric, Energy, Nuclear, Environment
The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to reopen its Browns Ferry 1 nuclear reactor this month — 22 years after it was shut for safety reasons and 5 years after extensive renovations began.
The move reflects the increased interest in nuclear power as an energy source, but the government agency’s willingness to spend $1.8 billion on the overhaul — almost as much as a new plant is supposed to cost — also shows just how hard companies think it will be to build a new plant.
Nuclear energy promises to deliver large quantities of electricity without contributing to global warming. But even though several utilities in the United States have talked about starting a new reactor — none have been ordered since the 1970s— no company has yet done so.
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 05 May 2007 | Tagged as: Telecommunications
Since the 1930s, when Congress set as public policy the goal of ensuring affordable phone service for every home, the government has allowed rural carriers to charge higher per-minute rates to long-distance companies for connecting their calls to the local network.
The rural rates typically range from 2 cents a minute to perhaps a nickel, though occasionally exceed a dime. By contrast, AT&T, Verizon and Qwest get paid closer to half a cent per minute when they connect one of their local customers to a long-distance call from another provider.
The extra revenue enables the nation’s smallest carriers - there are roughly 500 companies with fewer than 2,000 phone lines - to generate a profit without jacking up local rates.
Welcome to Utility News, a law blog hosted by Saul Ewing LLP. Utility News is a source of information for individuals interested in public utilities and their regulation.
Edward G. Lanza, Editor
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