Message-ID: <3780728.1075846367702.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 09:29:00 -0800 (PST) From: wiley.cauthen@enron.com To: shelley.corman@enron.com Subject: Friends of the Aquifer, Inc. Appeal of Denials of Petitions to DEP, DCA, and PSC Cc: steven.kean@enron.com, rockford.meyer@enron.com, joe.hillings@enron.com, cynthia.sandherr@enron.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Bcc: steven.kean@enron.com, rockford.meyer@enron.com, joe.hillings@enron.com, cynthia.sandherr@enron.com X-From: Wiley Cauthen X-To: Shelley Corman X-cc: Steven J Kean, Rockford Meyer, Joe Hillings, Cynthia Sandherr X-bcc: X-Folder: \Steven_Kean_Dec2000_1\Notes Folders\Pipeline issues X-Origin: KEAN-S X-FileName: skean.nsf Chris Jensen, Executive Director of the Florida Energy Pipeline Association, has learned from some DEP agency contacts that the Alliance (operating behind the front organization known as Friends of the Aquifer, Inc.) has decided to drop their lawsuits appealing the denials of their petitions to more severely regulate pipelines in Florida. While this is good news for those of us fighting the war here in Florida, the reason for this withdrawal of their appeals of failed efforts on three different petitions at the state level in Florida is because of their belief that their current activity at the Federal level holds greater promise of success and their desire to concentrate their resources in that effort. My thoughts on this is that the pipeline industry should get organized and execute a "full court press" defense which is proactive as we move into increased future efforts at the Federal level by the Alliance through their other front organizations. These organizations have been created to burden pipeline competition to benefit the maritime interests. From my vantage point I am limited to mostly what I see in the press, but these front organization are winning the battle in the national press that I have seen and heard. AOPL and INGAA do not come across in the press as being equipped or prepared to handle the shaping of the pipeline safety issues in the press that these Alliance front organizations have been doing. Our Enron government affairs folks in Washington are knowledgeable, experienced and capable. They have been through this battle and other battles in the past. So this is not a criticism, but just a friendly observation from a remote vantage point, that if the entire pipeline industry does not develop a proactive plan to shape the issues in the national media during the next year, we will find it very difficult or perhaps impossible to come out of Congress with legislation that is reasonable and workable from a safety regulation perspective. It has been my experience with the Alliance in the past, that to any extent they are successful, they will then multiply their efforts and broaden their field of attack. The issue is not safety of pipelines, but competition for the transportation of energy. We have an industry that can be very proud of it's record of safety, economic benefits, reliability, public service, energy efficiency and environmentally favorable service when compared to any other mode of transporting energy. We have learned from our experiences, research and mistakes in the past and will continue to learn in the future so that future pipeline service will be even better for our people whom we serve. Our entire energy pipeline industry (natural gas and petroleum) needs to shape the issues in the national press and tell our very good story so the politicians are not overrun with public opinion shaped by our maritime competition. Thanks for your interest. This is a "heads-up" that is probably not needed, but I felt that there might be something in it that would help with a very difficult current and future issue.