AGA J02013

The manual is intended to be one of the first places industry participants can turn for quick answers about FERC's rules as well as for more detailed explanations and guides to additional research. The manual covers the following topics: a brief history of FERC's natural gas regulation; services of pipelines and storage companies; rules relating to shippers or storage customers; obtaining capacity from pipelines directly as well as from other pipeline shippers; regulation of sellers of natural gas and a description of natural gas markets; local distribution companies as transportation and storage providers; rules about market manipulation; enforcement; preparing compliance plans; and other substantive aspects of FERC regulations affecting local distribution companies.

New topics include:

• The evolution of FERC's consideration of pipeline tariff provisions dealing with service interruptions;
• FERC's rate treatment of expenses and investments made in light of pipeline safety legislation and evolving environmental standards;
• Limitations on pipeline market-based storage rates;
• How waivers of Capacity Release Rules for restructuring transactions have evolved from the extraordinary to the routine;
• Decisions of FERC and reviewing courts in litigated and settled cases considering market manipulation, including new restrictions on the scope of FERC's jurisdiction; and
• Cautionary notes about the authority of FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.