Sound bites from state and federal regulators. Gas Load Building. Finding no protest from electric utilities, North Carolina waives requirements for preliminary cost-benefit analysis and approves incentive programs for Piedmont Natural Gas Co. Inc., designed to boots gas load by installing commercial gas cooking equipment at community colleges for use in culinary degree programs. Commission tells company to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis as soon as it can gather the necessary data from actual operating experience. Docket No. G-9, Sub 377, Jan. 31, 1997 (N.C.U.C.).
Coal Tar Cleanup. New York OKs request by Long Island Lighting Co. to use "customer portion" of excess earnings from gas distribution service to offset increased costs for environmental remediation at former gas manufacturing sites, despite a multi-year settlement issued in 1993 that had promised customers an equal share of excess earnings (revenues exceeding a 10.6 percent return on equity). Case 93-G-0002, Nov. 19, 1996 (N.Y.P.S.C.).