fw : el paso had market power fyi - - more on el paso . gh
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from : butler , janet
sent : tuesday , august 28 , 2001 4 : 45 pm
to : alvarez , ray ; bagot , nancy ; benner , martha ; benson , eric ; blair , lynn ; boatman , jack ; bradley , rob ; branney , theresa ; brennan , lorna ; briggs , tom ; butler , janet ; comnes , alan ; cordes , bill ; corman , shelley ; culwell , christi ; daniel , shonnie ; darveaux , mary ; dietz , rick ; dornan , dari ; dushinske , john ; farrell , sharon ; fossum , drew ; fulton , donna ; goodpasture , john ; hammond , pearce ; harris , steven ; hartsoe , joe ; hass , glen ; hayes , robert ; hayslett , rod ; heckerman , bambi ; hess , theresa ; hill , robert ; holmes , bradley ; holtzman , staci ; hopkins , tamara ; horton , stanley ; huber , lee ; janousek , martha ; january , steven ; kean , steven j . ; kilmer iii , robert ; king jr . , frazier ; kirk , steve ; kissner , tim ; lantefield , laura ; lawrence , linda l . ; lichtenwalter , blair ; linnell , elizabeth ; loeffler , michael ; lokey , teb ; lowry , phil ; mann , ruth ; mara , susan ; martens , donna ; mccoppin , dorothy ; mcgowan , mike w . ; miller , mary kay ; miller , terri ; nacey , sheila ; nelson , kimberly ( ets ) ; neppl , ray ; neubauer , dave ; neufeld , eva ; neustaedter , robert ; nicolay , christi l . ; novosel , sarah ; paladino , ranelle ; palmer , maureen ; paschal , zelda ; patterson , geneva ; pavlou , maria ; petersen , keith ; place , janet ; porter , gregory j . ; pribble , dan ; pryor , tony ; raker , colleen ; rice , randy ; ringblom , kathy ; robertson , linda ; saunders , james ; sawyer , lisa ; scott , donna ; shafer , john ; shapiro , richard ; smith , mike ; soldano , louis ; stanton , lon ; steffes , james d . ; sullivan , kathleen ; talcott , jim ; taylor , gina ; tu , denis ; van norden , mike ; veatch , stephen ; vignaroli , donald ; warner , jody ; watson , kimberly ; wilkie , kim ; wilson , jane ; wilson , rob ; winckowski , michele ; wininger , james ; yoho , lisa
subject : el paso had market power
in a release from natural gas intelligence according to ferc staff counsel , el paso natural gas and el paso merchant energy possessed market power during the summer of 2000 and violated ferc ' s marketing affiliate standards . the article states that el paso had market power after may 2000 for at least two months when pipeline capacity constraints created a separate relevant geographic market in california . the evidence pointed to the now - infamous february 7 and 9 , 2000 telephone conversations showing that the operating employees of el paso merchant , el paso natural gas and mojave pipeline " were not functioning independently , " according to staff counsel .
the phone conversations took place just days before el paso pipeline began its open season for 1 . 22 bcf / d of firm , capacity on its system ( bound for california ) , all awarded to el paso merchant .
before and during the open season , epme gained new information about the restructured long - term tiered discount on mojave to wheeler ridge while potential non - affiliate shippers were not according to counsel . as a result , counsel find that epme ' s group had an undue competitive advantage with the new mojave discount generating a successful bid for the el paso pipeline capacity .
ferc chief alj wagner is expected to issue an initial decision in early october .