cbr EVENTS

Agenda: AGA Rates School 2009

June 8-11, 2009
Center for Business and Regulation
University of Illinois at Springfield
UIC Student Center East (SCE)
750 South Halsted Street Chicago, IL

The American Gas Association four day program offers intensive study of the natural gas industry and its regulation. Taught by recognized experts in the field, this program focuses on the details of ratemaking through intensive classroom work, study groups and lectures. This program is sponsored by the Center for Business and Regulation in the College of Business and Management at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The course will be held at the University of Illinois' Chicago campus.

Daily Schedule

Find a detailed agenda

Monday

8:15 am - 5:00 pm Classroom work
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Welcome Reception
7:00 - ? pm Case Study Team Prep

Tuesday

8:15 am- 5:00 pm Classroom work
6:00 - ? pm Case Study Team Prep

Wednesday

8:15am - 5:00 pm Classroom work
6:30 - 8:30 pm Reception, Dinner and Speaker

Thursday

8:15 - 12:00 pm Case Study Presentation and Panel Discussion

Agenda

Monday June 8, 2009

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Registration and Continental Breakfast	SCE Room 613
8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.	Introductory Remarks Karl McDermott, Center for Business and Regulation, University of Illinois at Springfield	SCE Room 605
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Accounting Issues Joel Berk, Financial Accounting Institute Basic utility accounting concepts & transactions Sample transaction worksheet Financial statement preparation	SCE Room 605
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Break	SCE Room 613
10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	Accounting Issues Joel Berk, Financial Accounting Institute	SCE Room 605
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Lunch	SCE Room 613
12:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.	Regulation and Ratemaking Eric Meinl, National Fuel Characteristics of regulated companies and regulatory commissions Ratemaking objectives and formula Revenue requirement concepts	SCE Room 605
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Break	SCE Room 613
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Workshop on Cost of Service Issues Eric Meinl, National Fuel Determining Revenue Requirement Typical Rate Case Adjustments	SCE Room 605
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Pipeline and LDC Case Study Russell Feingold, Black and Veatch Richard Smead, Director, Navigant Consulting, Inc. Familiarization with two rate cases and guidance on solving key Typical Rate Case Adjustments	SCE Room 605
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Welcome ReceptionRefreshments and discussion All Participants	SCE East Terrace
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Dinner On your own All Participants
7:00 p.m. – ?	Pipeline and LDC Case Study Team Preparation Study Groups All Participants

Tuesday June 9, 2009

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Continental Breakfast	SCE Room 613
8:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Utility Pricing Fundamentals Karl McDermott, Professor of Business and Government, University of Illinois at Springfield and Center for Business and Regulation Carl Peterson, Professor of Economics, University of Illinois at Springfield and Center for Business and Regulation Characteristics of good pricing Marginal Cost Pricing Price Elasticity of Demand	SCE Room 605
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Break	SCE Room 613
10:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Risk and Rate of Return Charles Harder, Senior Counsel, CenterPoint Energy Cost of Capital Capital Structure Return on Equity Calculations	SCE Room 605
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Lunch	SCE Room 613
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.	Traditional & Unbundled Co. Gas Rate Design Russell Feingold, Black and Veatch The LDC rate design process Cost allocation concepts and principles Traditional rate design & unbundled transportation service PGAs and other automatic adjustment mechanisms	SCE Room 605
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Break	SCE Room 613
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Pipeline Co. Rate Design Richard Smead, Director, Navigant Consulting, Inc. Pipeline cost allocation Straight fixed variable rate design Interruptible service issues	SCE Room 605
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Dinner On your own
7:00 p.m. – ?	Pipeline and LDC Case Study Team Preparation Study Groups

Wednesday June 10, 2009

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Continental Breakfast	SCE Room 613
8:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Case Study Presentations Russell Feingold and Richard Smead Illustrative rate case issues Views and positions of parties Practical rate making solutions	SCE Room 605
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.	Break	SCE Room 613
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Gas Supply Planning Fundamentals Ken Yagelski, Concentric Energy Advisors Load forecasting Commodity purchasing strategies Asset optimization	SCE Room 605
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Lunch	SCE Room 613
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Energy Efficiency and Conservation Jeff Daugherty, CenterPoint Energy Economics of Energy Efficiency Making the Most of Energy Efficiency Dollars Program Design and Customer Acceptance	SCE Room 605
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.	Break	SCE Room 613
3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	Innovative Rate Design: Decoupling and Other New Rate Mechanisms Valerie Grace, Manager, Rates, People’s Gas Fixed cost recovery techniques Revenue decoupling Rate stabilization mechanisms	SCE Room 605
6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.	Reception	SCE East Terrace
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.	Dinner	SCE East Terrace
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.	Financial Community View of Gas Industry Richard Cortright, Standard & Poor's, Importance of Regulation Attributes of Healthy Gas Utility	SCE East Terrace

Thursday June 11, 2009

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Continental Breakfast	SCE Room 613
8:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Panel Discussion: Future Developments in the Natural Gas Indsutry Hon. Robert Clayton, Chair Missouri Public Service Commission Brad Burton Manager of Federal Regulatory Affairs Questar Gas Company Cynthia Marple Director, Rates and Regulatory Affairs, AGA Conrad Gruber, VP Strategic Planning, Atmos Energy Corportation	SCE Room 605
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Break	SCE Room 613
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.	Panel (Con't)	SCE Room 605
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Presentations of Certificates & Adjourn	SCE Room 605