The Source - Spring 2009 - (Page 15)

Q&A enough time to make the investments and reduce their energy use without seeing price shocks. Those who cannot adjust will need extra assistance. ON TRANSPARENCY You have been a leader in advocating for increased transparency in energy markets. As a consumer group, APGA has strongly pushed for greater transparency to prevent market abuses before they can impact natural gas consumers. What are some of the ﬁrst steps the Committee may take to address greater transparency in energy markets? I am a strong believer in increased transparency in energy markets. I believe that the data we now collect on energy markets are insufficient to allow the government to effectively oversee markets. We already have seen that the body that regulates oil markets, the Commodity Futures Trade Commission (CFTC), has acknowledged a short-coming in its data collection and classification system, which likely led that agency to draw incomplete and potentially incorrect conclusions about the nature of the oil price spike over the summer and the price crash this autumn. Therefore, I think our first step should increase oil market data collection. Second, I believe that we need to enhance the ability of our nation’s top oil market forecasters to integrate financial market developments into their forecasting, because I think we have all learned that oil markets and wider commodity and financial markets are interrelated. Stove-piped analysis can no longer do the job. Finally, I believe it is important that the Secretary of Energy be able to step in to oil markets during emergency situations and set speculative limits on trading positions. The Secretary of Energy has the responsibility to ensure safe and affordable energy to U.S. citizens, and if the market is unable to perform the function of fair and transparent price discovery, we need for empower the Secretary to step in and protect consumers. Our Name is Our Word EN Engineering is a trusted partner to gas distribution and gas/liquid pipeline companies, municipalities and industrial customers across the United States. A full service, consulting and pipeline engineering rm, EN Engineering brings specialized expertise — with an operator’s perspective — to complete your project successfully and in the most cost-effective and dependable manner. EN Engineering is also ISO 9001:2000-certiﬁed for Quality Management Systems. From new construction and main replacement programs to regulatory compliance and operational support, EN Engineering helps you meet any challenge. We give you our word. For further information, contact Phil Bottger, VP Business Development, at pbottger@enengineering.com or 630.353.4002, and visit our Web site at www.enengineering.com. feasibility studies distribution design station design control systems • corrosion control systems management R excellence from start to nish Chicago Baltimore Beijing Engineering Software GASW orkS™ network m odeling. Affordable, robust, efficient. GIS/CAD/CIS support. Model sizes to 500K. GASCalc™ suite of design tools. Pipe, regulator, relief valve, orifice m eter, gas properties, crossing calculations, gas loss, and m ore. StationM anager™ regulator/relief valve station com pliance and m aintenance m anagem ent software. Demo Software - www.b3pe.com Bradley B. Bean, PE 719-578-9391 THE SOURCE | SPRING 2009 , VOL. 1, ISSUE 3 15 http://www.enengineering.com http://www.b3pe.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Source - Spring 2009

The Source - Spring 2009 Contents First Person APGA Events Q&A: One-on-One with Senator Jeff Bingaman Great Malls Think Alike The Economy and Your Customers Member to Member New Technology: Saving Energy Never Felt So Good New Technology: Get Pumped! Legislative Outlook The Pipeline Advertiser.com Advertisers' Index At Last

The Source - Spring 2009

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