Leach/Rayne Decisions & Rate Investigations Forthcoming?

While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has not yet officially made an announcement, today the Commission released the agenda for its upcoming monthly meeting next Thursday, January 19 at 10 a.m. On the list are the docket numbers for TransCanada's Leach Xpress and Rayne Express Projects. From our database of every Commission meeting, historically the Commission will only post projects -- typically less noteworthy projects -- for which it intends to issue a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. As such, it is entirely possible that the Commission intends to issue the Certificates for Leach and Rayne at the meeting. Also notable in the agenda, are two apparent placeholders, designated as "omitted," which may have been reserved for Energy Transfer Partners' Rover Pipeline Project and Spectra Energy's NEXUS Project. 

The Commission's agenda also includes two rate proceeding dockets for Kinder Morgan's Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC, and Wyoming Interstate Company LLC. At last year's January meeting, the Commission initiated four Natural Gas Act, Section 5 rate investigations, which have since been settled. For readers of Insights, Tis the Season...For Rate Investigations, the timing of these rate investigations will likely come as no surprise. The outcomes of these investigations could lead to dramatic rate reductions, as they have in previous cases, which may impact the operating asset and its shippers.