cbr EVENTS

Agenda: AGA Rates School 2011

August 8-11, 2011
Gleacher Center , University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

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
12:30 pm – 2:00 PM Lunch with Luncheon Speaker

Thursday

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

Agenda

Monday August 8, 2011

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.	Introductory Remarks Karl McDermott, Center for Business and Regulation, University of Illinois at Springfield
8:30 a.m - 9:30 a.m	Legal Issues John Rooney, Rooney, Rippie & Ratnaswamy Legal foundations of regulation
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Accounting Issues Joel Berk, Financial Accounting Institute Basic utility accounting concepts & transactions Sample transaction worksheet Financial statement preparation
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	Accounting Issues Joel Berk, Financial Accounting Institute
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Lunch
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Accounting Issues (continued) Joel Berk, Financial Accounting Institute
1:30 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
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Break
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
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
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Welcome ReceptionRefreshments and discussion All Participants
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 August 9, 2011

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
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
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Break
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
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
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
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Break
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
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 August 10, 2011

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
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
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Gas Supply Planning Fundamentals Ken Yagelski, UGI Energy Services. Load forecasting Commodity purchasing strategies Asset optimization
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Lunch Financial Community View of Gas Industry Financial Industry Speaker Importance of Regulation Attributes of Healthy Gas Utility
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 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
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.	Break
3:45 p.m. – 5:15 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

Thursday August 11, 2011

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
8:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Panel Discussion: Future Developments in the Natural Gas Indsutry Hon. Sherman J. Elliott Commissioner, Illinois Commerce 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
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.	Panel (Con't)
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Presentations of Certificates & Adjourn