Upstream, downstream. (utilities' gas sources of major American cities) (column)

NEW YORK--EIN's gas price statistics includ monthly retail prices in 2k cities ("Natural Gas Price Hikes") and monthly wholesale prices of 27 interstate pipelines ("What Local gas Utilities Paid").

How do the two sets of figures relate? Who buys from whom? That hasn't been described here systematically.

The local utilities provide supplier data in their annual "Form 50" filings with the Department of Energy. These figures end up in an unpublished data base on utilities' purchases and sales.

EUN previously looked at the survey's figures on sales to establish who are the largest providers of gas to industry. (See Jan. 30 EUN, page 37.)

Now let's look at the purchase--which utilities buy from which pipelines. The information …