LTC/jva 12/22/2004

BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

In the Matter of the Application of San Diego Gas & Electric Company (U 902 G) and Southern California Gas Company (U 904 G) for Authority to Integrate Their Gas Transmission Rates, Establish Firm Access Rights, and Provide Off-System Gas Transportation Services.

Application 04-12-004 (Filed December 2, 2004)

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE'S RULING GRANTING JOINT PARTIES' MOTION FOR AN ORDER SHORTENING COMMENT PERIOD
ON MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME

On December 21, 2004, the Indicated Producers, California Manufacturing and Technology Association, Coral Energy Resources, L.P., ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Company, the Office of Ratepayer Advocates, Southern California Generation Coalition, The Utility Reform Network, and West Coast Power (Joint Parties) filed a Motion for an Order Shortening the Comment Period (Motion #2) relative to their Motion for Extension of Time (Motion #1) filed on December 17, 2004.

Joint Parties filed these motions in response to the application of San Diego Gas & Electric Company and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) seeking Commission authorization to integrate their gas transmission rates, establish firm access rights, and provide off-system gas transportation services. The Commission requires that protests or responses to the application be filed within 30 days of the date¹ the notice of the application's filing appeared in the Daily Calendar.² The due date for protests or responses to the application is January 7, 2005.

In Motion #1 Joint Parties request an extension of the protest/response due date from January 7 to a date 30 days after applicants serve exemplary tariffs supporting their application.³ Joint Parties disavow any intent to delay this proceeding, and assert that the issues can be refined better if the Commission allows the parties the additional time necessary to review the exemplary tariffs and address them in their protests/responses.

The Commission requires⁴ that responses to Motion #1 be filed within 15 days, or January 3, 2005. In Motion #2 Joint Parties request a shortening of the Motion #1 response period to December 28, 2004.⁵

This ruling resolves Motion #2 only, determining that the time to respond to Motion #1 should be shortened to December 28, in order to allow for disposition of the merits as soon as possible thereafter. The parties are placed on notice that if, after reviewing all the relevant pleadings, I ultimately determine to grant Motion #1, protests/responses to the application will be due January 20, 2005, 30 days from the date the exemplary tariffs were served.

IT IS RULED that the Indicated Producers, California Manufacturing and Technology Association, Coral Energy Resources, L.P., ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Company, the Office of Ratepayer Advocates, Southern California Generation Coalition, The Utility Reform Network, and West Coast Power (Joint Parties') Motion for an Order Shortening Comment Period to Motion for Extension of Time is hereby granted. Reponses to the Joint Parties' Motion for Extension of Time are due for filing on December 28, 2004, and shall be served electronically on the service list for Rulemaking 04-01-025 and the undersigned Administrative Law Judge Lynn T. Carew (ltc@cpuc.ca.gov).

Dated December 22, 2004, at San Francisco, California.

		/s/ LYNN T. CAREW
		Lynn T. Carew Administrative Law Judge

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that I have by mail, and by electronic mail to the parties to which an electronic mail address has been provided, this day served a true copy of the original attached Administrative Law Judge's Ruling Granting Joint Parties' Motion For An Order Shortening Comment Period On Motion For Extension Of Time on all parties of record in Rulemaking 04-01-025 or their attorneys of record.

Dated December 22, 2004, at San Francisco, California.

/s/ JANET V. ALVIAR

Janet V. Alviar

NOTICE

Parties should notify the Process Office, Public Utilities Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2000, San Francisco, CA 94102, of any change of address to ensure that they continue to receive documents. You must indicate the proceeding number on the service list on which your name appears.

¹ December 8, 2004.

² Rule 44.1.

³ Applicants indicated in prepared testimony accompanying the application that they would provide exemplary tariffs to the parties within two weeks of the filing of the application. Energy Division staff has advised the Administrative Law Judge that applicants served the exemplary tariffs on December 21, 2004, and that the tariffs are lengthy and complex.

⁴ Rule 45(f).

⁵ Joint Parties represent that SoCalGas does not oppose the request to shorten time.