The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport of petroleum by pipeline. FERC also reviews proposals to build interstate natural gas pipelines, natural gas storage projects, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, in addition to licensing non-federal hydropower projects.
Enbridge Inc. is a multinational pipeline and energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Enbridge owns and operates pipelines throughout Canada and the United States, transporting crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids, and also generates renewable energy. Enbridge's pipeline system is the longest in North America and the largest oil export pipeline network in the world. Its crude oil system consists of 28,661 kilometres of pipelines. Its 38,300 kilometre natural gas pipeline system connects multiple Canadian provinces, several US states, and the Gulf of Mexico. The company was formed by Imperial Oil in 1949 as the Interprovincial Pipe Line Company Limited to transport Alberta oil to refineries. Over time, it has grown through acquisition of other existing pipeline companies and the expansion of their projects.
The Henry Hub is a distribution hub on the natural gas pipeline system in Erath, Louisiana, owned by Sabine Pipe Line LLC, a subsidiary of EnLink Midstream Partners LP who purchased the asset from Chevron Corporation in 2014. Due to its importance, it lends its name to the pricing point for natural gas futures contracts traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the OTC swaps traded on Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).
Sonat, Inc., headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, was a large Fortune 500 American energy holding company. The company was founded in 1928 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "SNT". Sonat was primarily involved in transmission and marketing natural gas and oil and gas exploration and production. The company was also involved in contract offshore drilling until 1995 when the offshore business became Transocean. In 1999 Sonat merged with El Paso Corporation. The company was headquartered in the AmSouth-Sonat Tower in downtown Birmingham.
El Paso Natural Gas (EPNG) is an American company and a 10,140-mile pipeline system consisting of a system of natural gas pipelines that brings gas from the Permian Basin in Texas and the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and Colorado to West Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, California, and Arizona. It also exports some natural gas to Mexico.
Enbridge Pipelines is a collection of four different systems of natural gas pipelines, all owned by Enbridge. They include the Enbridge Pipelines (AlaTenn) system, the Enbridge Pipelines (MidLa) system, the Enbridge Offshore Pipelines (UTOS) system, and the Enbridge Pipelines (KPC) system.
Florida Gas Transmission is a natural gas pipeline which brings gas from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama into Florida. The pipeline is owned 50% by Energy Transfer Partners (Owner/Operator) and 50% by Kinder Morgan Partnership, each respectively representing units in Citrus Corporation (CitCor). Its FERC code is 34.
The Garden Banks Pipeline is a 30-inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline which gathers gas from the offshore Gulf of Mexico and brings it into Enbridge Pipelines UTOS system, which leads into various locations in Louisiana and Texas. One end of the pipeline originates from Cameron, Louisiana, and it spans for 50 miles. Since 2005, the pipeline itself is 100% owned by Enbridge Offshore L.L.C., a subsidiary of the multinational pipeline company Enbridge, which has the longest pipeline system in North America. Its FERC code is 148. According to the FERC website, the company total cost for pipeline operations in the 2022 fiscal year was $60,318, 949.
Gulf South Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline system that transports gas between south and east Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. The system is owned by a limited partnership. The system connects to Henry Hub in Louisiana. Its FERC code is 11. The pipeline was formerly owned by the United Gas Pipe Line Company, a subsidiary of United Gas Corporation.
Gulfstream Natural Gas Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline that brings gas from Mississippi and Alabama, underwater across the Gulf of Mexico, to Florida. It was owned by Duke Energy, but is now owned by Enbridge and Williams. Its FERC code is 183.
Horizon Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline in northern Illinois, United States. Its FERC code is 178.
Questar Pipeline Company (QPC) provides natural gas transportation and underground storage services from the Rocky Mountains region. Its FERC code is 55. Questar Pipeline is a subsidiary of Questar Corporation. Questar Corporation was acquired in 2016 by Dominion Energy.
Southern Natural Pipeline (Sonat) is a natural gas pipeline system which brings gas from the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico coast to the southeastern United States. It also has a connection to the Elba Island LNG terminal in Georgia. It is owned by Kinder Morgan and is part of its Birmingham, Alabama based Southern Natural Gas division. Its FERC code is 6.
Stingray Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline which brings natural gas from the offshore Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. It is owned by Energy Transfer. Its FERC code is 69.
Texas Eastern Pipeline (TETCo) is a major natural gas pipeline which brings gas from the Gulf of Mexico coast in Texas and Louisiana up through Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to deliver gas in the New York City area. It is one of the largest pipeline systems in the United States. It is owned by Enbridge. Its FERC code is 17.
Transwestern Pipeline Company, LLC owns and operates a natural gas transmission system that connects natural gas supplies in the San Juan and Rocky Mountain Basins in northwest New Mexico, southwest Colorado, the Texas-Oklahoma Panhandle, and the Permian Basin region of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico with California, Arizona, Nevada in the West and Texas, and New Mexico on its Eastern end. Transwestern is a "natural gas company" as defined under the Natural Gas Act and is regulated under the rules and regulations of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Trunkline Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline system which brings gas from the Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana through Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky to deliver gas in Illinois and Indiana. It connects to the Henry Hub, Egan Hub, and Perryville Hub. The total length of the system is 3,059 miles (4,923 km) and its capacity is 1.5 billion cubic feet per day. It is operated by Trunkline Gas Company, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners. Its FERC code is 30.
The Natural Gas Act of 1938 was the first occurrence of the United States federal government regulating the natural gas industry. It was focused on regulating the rates charged by interstate natural gas transmission companies. In the years prior to the passage of the Act, concern arose about the monopolistic tendencies of the transmission companies and the fact that they were charging higher than competitive prices. The passage of the Act gave the Federal Power Commission (FPC) control over the regulation of interstate natural gas sales. Later on, the FPC was dissolved and became the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pursuant to a different act. FERC continues to regulate the natural gas industry to this day.
