Convergence and California could shape course of gas policy
✍ Scribed by Jones, Beverly E.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2007
- Weight
- 976 KB
- Volume
- 17
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0743-5665
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
s strained power supply and high electricity prices were in the news. I was in the state at the time, first speaking at a conference, then staying on to attend a number of the informal events scheduled on the periphery of the official Convention program.
Having spent many years representing energy companies, I should not have been surprised at how often the conversation turned to electricity issues as I bumped into old friends and acquaintances. In casual chat, policy makers and lobbyists alike repeatedly raised the subject of California's problems with power supply, and then went on to comment that the future sure looks great for natural gas.
The need for more power generation capacity was in the news, and it is widely known that most new generating plants these days rely on natural gas. Thus it was a short leap from news stories of local brownouts to confident predictions that good times are beginning to roll for natural gas producers and transporters.
For natural gas companies, however, t h i s knee-jerk reaction in political circles is troubling because it can
Beverly E. Jones is special counsel for the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm of Adams and Reese LLP. She was formerly vice president of external affairs and policy
for Consolidated Natural Gas Company.