It’s the day before Valentine’s Day and like marriage therapy, two major industries will engage in Communications 101. Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“Commission” or “FERC”) staff will hold a technical conference to identify specific areas in which additional Commission guidance or regulatory change could be considered regarding information sharing and communications between the electric and natural gas industries. If you are in the area, the conference will take place today, February 13, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. at the Commission located at 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426. With over 77 comments filed on the issue, the day will be long but very interesting. Here are a few of the questions roundtable participants will address:

• What information-sharing arrangements do pipelines have with various customer classes, e.g., LDCs, industrials, gas-fired generators?
• What additional information needs to be shared among pipelines, generators, other pipeline customers, electric transmission operators, retail utilities and/or regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent transmission organizations (ISOs) to ensure both electric and gas system reliability? For example, NYISO in its comments suggests that it may be helpful to receive next-hour alternative fuel capability for gas-fired facilities with dual fuel capability.
• Who needs this information and who should provide it?
• Is the information currently public or non-public? What are the commercial implications of publicly releasing the information?

There are many Roundtable Participants including Marguerite Mills, vice president of procurement, American Electric Power, Jeffrey Bruner, vice president and general counsel, Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company, Ray Miller, vice president, pipeline management, Kinder Morgan Interstate Pipelines and James Stanzione, director of federal regulatory policy, National Grid.

Although the technical conference will not be transcribed, there will be a free webcast.  Anyone who wants to listen to the conference can do so by navigating to the Calendar of Events at http://www.ferc.gov and locating the technical conference in the Calendar. The technical conference will contain a link to its webcast.