American Gas - March 2014 - (Page 19)

respond to public safety concerns and ensure system reliability, spokeswoman Brittany Chord told American Gas. "The control center gives us insight into transmission and distribution that we didn't have before. When a leak occurs, we will be able to be much more responsive, collaborative, and accurate, as our dispatch and control teams work together to fix the situation." -G.J. oregon Full Serve Utilities enter the NGV refueling market POrtLanD, Or -NW Natural, the largest independent natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest, has received the green light from the Oregon Public Utility Commission to begin offering CNG fuel to business customers for vehicle use. In its filing with the commission, NW Natural indicated that it will focus on nonresidential customers with fleets of 40 or more vehicles that return to the same location at night. NW Natural will design, plan, permit, construct, install, and maintain the fuel facilities, which will be located on customers' property. To obtain the service, customers must enter into a 10-year agreement. "Oregon is a leader in electric vehicles, but we lag far behind other states in the use of natural gas vehicles," said Commission Chair Susan Ackerman in a statement announcing the decision. "This proposal is a step forward toward changing that situation. Plus, this is structured in a way that protects ratepayers against financial impacts of this venture." Clean Energy, a firm owned by T. Boone Pickens that owns and operates natural gas fueling stations from British Columbia to the Mexican border, opposed NW Natural's proposal. The company argued that approval would create an uneven playing field that will harm the future development of the refueling infrastructure market in Oregon. But the Citizens' Utility Board, Northwest Industrial Gas Users, commission staff, and the Oregon Department of Energy all supported the proposal. The energy department contended that rather than hinder competition, NW Natural's participation in the market is likely to attract more competitors as demand for CNG increases. The commission agreed to review the program again in two years to assess how competitive CNG offerings may have been affected. Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue, Wash., also has approached its regulator, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, for permission to sell on-site fueling stations to fleet operators, according to the Northwest News Network. A decision is expected later this year. -G.J. Storm Watch in Oregon: Eyes out for CNG fueling stations. oklahoma States Know Best Governors unite against federal oversight of hydraulic fracturing OKLahOma citY -There is a growing debate about whether hydraulic fracturing should be regulated by the states or the federal government. One byproduct of that debate: the States First initiative, which was founded to help make the case for states taking the lead in overseeing drilling activity. Launched in mid-2013, States First is a partnership of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, a multistate governmental march 2014 AmericAn GAs 19

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - March 2014

Contents

American Gas - March 2014

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aga/20151201
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