NEM has filed to intervene in the standard offer service proceeding. NEM members interested in participating in strategy formulation for this matter should contact headquarters ASAP. The full text of NEM's Petition to Intervene is available on the NEM Website.

DTE instituted an inquiry into the LDCs use of risk management programs (RMPs). Comments are requested on the following questions: 1) should LDCs be allowed or required to implement RMPs; 2) should LDCs be limited to the use of specific risk management instruments; 3) what should be the objective of RMPs and how should they be evaluated; 4) what costs are associated with risk management and should LDCs be allowed recovery of those costs; and 5) should an incentive mechanism be used in conjunction with an RMP. Comments are due January 14, 2002. The full text of the Order Instituting Notice of Inquiry is available on the NEM Website.

NEM and other marketers filed comments in the competitive markets proceeding arguing that: 1) distribution companies should not engage in active marketing of supplier offerings such as the conduct of internet-based auctions; 2) customer assignment is an effective means to encourage the transition to a fully competitive market for residential customers; 3) unique customer identifiers should be utilized in the customer information lists to allow for implementation of the opt-out process; 4) the required four-character account name code is a barrier to customer switching; 5) customer information lists should include the delivery zone for every customer, whether customers have primary or secondary voltage and the delivery node for C&I customers; 6) distribution companies should use the Internet for the transmission of customer data between the companies and competitive suppliers; and 7) electronic enrollment can be utilized without sacrificing consumer protection.

The Attorney General argued that: 1) electric distribution companies (EDCs) should not act as electricity brokers for default service or standard offer service customers; 2) EDCs should not participate in Internet-based auction processes to move default service customers to competitive suppliers other than to provide access to such an auction on their websites; 3) EDCs should not assign default service customers to competitive suppliers; 4) customer account numbers should not be included on customer information lists; 5) the first four characters of a customer's account name should continue to be required for enrollment validation; and 6) information about customer delivery service points should not be included in customer lists.

DOER argues that that: 1) utility involvement in an Internet-based auction process or the use of utility-based authorizations to switch customers are acceptable; 2) default service customers should not be assigned to competitive suppliers at this time although the option could be revisited when the market matures; 3) unless customer account numbers are used on customer information lists, the four letter designation for commercial accounts should be discontinued but retained for residential customers, and 4) information specifying either primary or secondary service should be included on customer lists.

NStar proposes to release interested customers detailed consumption and load data to marketers via its website, free of charge. NStar supports the inclusion of customer service delivery points on customer lists but not the inclusion of customer account numbers.

The full text of the Comments of NEM, the Attorney General, DOER, and NStar are available on the NEM Website.

Consumers filed rebuttal testimony in its gas unbundling proceeding arguing that a metering back-out charge should include only the costs it can avoid by no longer reading meters and not the capital and O&M costs associated with metering assets. Consumers stated that it is not planning on selling meters or turning over their maintenance to a third party. Consumers asserts that if an ASP wants to propose metering services, a new study should be conducted to calculate Consumers' true avoided costs. The full text of Consumers' Rebuttal Testimony, Part 1 and Part 2, is available on the NEM Website.

Pursuant to the Commission's Orders on Consumers' and Detroit Edison's retail access programs, Staff will hold discussions on the development of a distribution-level imbalance service. The Commission directed participants to consider issues such as the interaction between OATT transmission and retail distribution imbalance mechanisms, design of a distribution imbalance service and charges, and steps needed to implement the service. Staff is to file a report by April 1, 2002, with recommendations and proposed tariffs. The initial meeting is on January 15, 2002, at 9:30AM at the Commission's offices.

EDI implementation guidelines for New Jersey electric choice have been finalized. The guidelines pertain to write-off, collections, LDC consolidated bill, enrollment, drop, reinstatement, change, payment/remittance, application advice, historical usage, internal usage, and monthly usage. The full text of the NJ EDI Implementation Guidelines is available on the NEM Website.