The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) will permit Long Island Lighting Co. (LILCO), a natural gas local distribution company (LDC), to institute temporarily a series of tariff revisions designed to enhance customers' ability to choose competing suppliers of natural gas.
According to PSC staff, the LDC's plan to offer a new array of firm transportation choices constitutes a "reasonable alternative" to full disaggregation of existing sales rates. The new choices (em including access to upstream capacity, storage options, and recognition of customer load factors (em will provide smaller customers (including the residential market) with a previously unavailable gateway to alternative suppliers, the staff said. Staff also noted that, unlike restructuring proposals submitted by other LDCs, the utility does not plan to limit the size or scope of its transportation offerings. The LDC also agreed to offer a special discount to residential and other low-load customers to encourage broad participation.