The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has approved a settlement plan authorizing Jersey Central Power and Light Co. to recover up to $149 million in purchased power contract buyout costs.

The Idaho Pubic Utilities Commission has approved two new electric market experiments to test a market-based pricing tariff proposed by one electric utility and a direct-access pilot program proposed by another.

Market-based pricing. It authorized Idaho Power Co. to offer industrial customers, on an experimental basis, the option of purchasing power under a market-based rate schedule. Customers who contract for 5 to 10 megawatts of firm demand at one delivery point qualify for the pilot tariff program.

Signaling victory over one of the more complex issues in the move to competition in the local telephone market, regulators in Connecticut and New York have adopted rate plans for unbundled interconnection services offered by incumbent local exchange carriers.

Both states also recently approved the wholesale discount rate that the LECs must apply to existing services when offering them for resale by competitive companies. See Re AT&T Communications of New York, Inc., 173 PUR4th 274 (N.Y.P.S.C. 1996); Re So. New England Tel. Co., Docket No. 95-06-17, March 25, 1997 (Conn.D.P.U.C.).

Sound bites from state and federal regulators.

Gas Curtailment. New York PSC approves updated curtailment and interruption tariffs for many of the state's natural gas local distribution companies. It had asked the LDCs to develop new rules to reflect growing competition and ensure gas deliveries for core customers during a supply crunch. Case 93-G-0932, March 24, 1997 (N.Y.P.S.C.).

T & D Classification. New York PSC opens proceeding to distinguish between electric transmission and distribution facilities.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has adopted a resolution setting December 2000 as the federal date-certain for expediting the transition to competition in the electric power industry.

The date set in the model resolution, which state legislators can adopt, is the same deadline named in the federal bill drafted by Rep. Dan Schaefer (R-Colo.). ALEC, the largest bipartisan membership association of state legislators with 3,000 members, believes that a common timeline between federal and state governments is necessary for a seamless transition to competition.

In response to an April 30 federal court order, parties suing the Department of Energy over nuclear waste storage have asked the court to require DOE to submit a detailed description within 30 days of its plan to begin removing radioactive waste from nuclear power plants.

Parties to the suit (em numbering 103 (em on May 7 also asked the court for permission to escrow more than $600 million in annual payments into the fund.

In a notice of proposed rulemaking, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has posed a new method of funding the Gas Research Institute, while extending the present funding method for one year (see, FERC Docket Nos. RM97-3-000 and RP97-149-000).

The current funding mechanism allows GRI-member pipelines to discount a FERC-approved GRI surcharge, then remit to GRI only those funds recovered. The FERC noted that this mechanism threatens GRI's research, development and demonstration efforts.

New York state's electric utilities in a joint filing at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have called for creation of an independent system operator, a power exchange and a reliability council, termed the "New York State Reliability Council."

The proposal stems from a collaborative process and is intended to complete the transition to full compliance with FERC Order 888. It includes numerous provisions:

• New York ISO. Would control state's bulk power transmission facilities;

• Transmission Pricing.

The proposed merger of Northern States Power Co. and Wisconsin Energy Corp. to form Primergy has been called off because of delays by regulatory authorities at both the federal and state levels.

"After thorough consideration, we have mutually agreed to terminate our plans," said Richard A. Abdoo, Wisconsin Energy chair, president and CEO.

Senate panel lobs shots at FERC's slow merger approvals.

Wall Street analysts and shareholder reps are urging Congress to help electric utilities recover stranded costs during nationwide deregulation to prevent a "cratering" of energy stocks.

One analyst recently testified that investors never expected 100-percent recovery. Another suggested that federal legislators should let states hammer out their own solutions.

But determining fair compensation state by state won't be easy, as witnesses and lawmakers conceded at recent hearings on Capitol Hill.