[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15856]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 30, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. RP91-41-025]

 

Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Refund Report

June 24, 1994.
    Take notice that on June 17, 1994, Columbia Gas Transmission 
Corporation (Columbia) filed a refund report advising the Commission 
that on April 21, 1994, Columbia made lump sum refunds in the amount of 
$138,521,816 to disburse refunds received after Columbia filed for 
bankruptcy.
    Columbia states that it made refunds in the amount of $135,526,272 
pursuant to an April 14, 1994 order in Docket No. RP91-41-021. The 
April 14 order accepted Columbia's March 18, 1994 filing to reinstate 
its implementation of Order No. 528 and make certain refunds in 
accordance with an order of the Bankruptcy Court dated March 15, 1994. 
Columbia reports that it also refunded (1) $476,956 to its customers 
for amounts owed for transportation refunds received from upstream 
suppliers after Columbia filed for bankruptcy, related to the period 
April 1, 1987 through March 31, 1990, and (2) $2,535,954 for refunds 
paid by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation to Columbia after 
Columbia filed for bankruptcy, which as a result of the merger of 
Commonwealth Gas Pipeline Corporation and Columbia, Columbia refunded 
to the former customers of Commonwealth.
    After it paid the refunds on April 21, Columbia states it 
discovered that the transportation refunds of $476,956 included 
$457,460 that Columbia had received from Texas Eastern and Texas Gas 
that related to Columbia's capacity allocation program. These refunds 
were for a time period when Columbia had released its capacity on these 
two pipelines to other shippers. Therefore, Columbia believes it should 
have refunded the $457,460 only to shippers to whom the capacity was 
assigned. On May 6, 1994, Columbia refunded $458,512.87 ($457,460 plus 
$1,052.87 for interest from April 21 through May 5) to the shippers to 
whom the capacity was assigned. Columbia states that it will bill other 
customers $457,460 in its May invoices to recover the amounts refunded 
in error.
    Because Columbia's refunds to customers were being disputed in 
Columbia's bankruptcy, Columbia had deposited all prebankruptcy 
petition period refunds in a restricted investment arrangement (RIA), 
as authorized by the Bankruptcy Court and the Commission. Columbia 
states that it calculated the interest to be refunded based on the 
interest it actually earned in the RIA. It notes that it has petitioned 
the Commission in Docket No. GP94-2-000, seeking to pay customers the 
interest actually earned in RIA rather than the interest otherwise 
required by the Commission's regulations. Columbia recognizes that its 
flowthrough of refunds here is subject to the Commission's final 
decision on the petition.
    Columbia states that it has mailed a copy of its refund report to 
interested state Commissions and, to each jurisdictional customer, a 
copy of the refund schedule showing the refund amount by issue.
    Any person desiring to be heard or to protest said filing should 
file a motion to intervene or a protest with the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol Street, NE., Washington, DC 
20426, in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission's Rules 
and Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 385.214). All such 
motions or protests should be filed on or before July 1, 1994. Protests 
will be considered by the Commission in determining the appropriate 
action to be taken, but will not serve to make protestants parties to 
the proceeding. Any person wishing to become a party must file a motion 
to intervene. Copies of this filing are on file with the Commission and 
are available for public inspection.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-15856 Filed 6-29-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M