The Role Of The Houston Field Office In The Federal Power Commission Program
Authors: Werner Seymour 
Published: December 2007

Werner, Seymour, U.S. Federal Power Commission, Houston, Tex.
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Abstract
This paper will cover a review of the activities of the Houston Field Office of the Federal Power Commission's Bureau of Natural Gas and some of the major accomplishments of the Commission in Federal regulation of natural gas companies during the past year. At the outset, the paper will describe the organization and functions of the Bureau of Natural Gas, encompassing the Producer, Pipeline and Planning and Standards Divisions, the geographical separation of responsibility within sections of the divisions and the development of the team concept in carrying out the essential day to day work activities in each section. The activities of the Planning and Standards Division will be covered, in an effort to outline staff activities involved in developing standards, operating manuals, in the review of staff exhibits and testimony presented in formal natural gas proceedings before presiding examiners and in marshalling statistics on back-log and current workload, as distinguished from the line function of the operating divisions having responsibility for receipt and processing of pipeline and independent producer applications for certificates of public convenience and necessity, rate and tariff filings and notices of rate changes. In this context,, the organization and activities of the Houston Field Office will be discussed. The Houston Field Office is an organizational unit of the Planning and Standards Division but performs substantive work activities at the request of and for the purpose of assisting in the functions of the producer and pipeline divisions. The coverage as to continuing work activities in which Houston staff personnel are engaged will touch upon participation in pipeline rate cases and independent producer area rate proceedings, the rendition of advice and assistance to small producers in connection with preparation and submission of rate and certificate filings to the Commission, and responsiveness to producer inquiries involving matters of status of producer cases, to the extent information may be available in the Field Office, and procedural requirements of the Commission's rules and regulations to be observed.
The paper will call attention to some of the principal accomplishments of the Commission in the regulation of natural gas companies since the rather extensive reorganization of approximately a year and a half ago, and will identify some of the problems currently being considered by the Commission.