El Paso Natural Gas challenges FERC decision. (News).(disputes judge's ruling that it withheld capacity from California market)

HOUSTON, TX -- El Paso Natural Gas Co. (EPNG), a subsidiary of El Paso Corp., on October 23 submitted a brief to the full Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), adamantly disputing the September 23 ruling of an administrative law judge that the company withheld capacity from the California market.

"The record evidence in this case establishes unequivocally that El Paso Natural Gas Co. acted lawfully and prudently at all times. The effect of the new and unprecedented definition of capacity withholding adopted by the initial decision, if allowed to stand, would threaten pipeline safety and reliability," said John W. Somerhalder II, president of the El Paso Pipeline Group.

In a strongly worded press release summarizing the brief, EPNG claims that the initial decision conflicts with the commission's own prior orders regarding EPNG. The initial decision also fails to take into account the overwhelming record evidence showing that EPNG made all possible capacity available to its shippers, the statement says.

Further, the brief states, the initial decision conflicts with current pipeline safety laws in several ways. First, the new and unprecedented ...