Center for Business and RegulationPhotos of UIS Students and Faculty

AGA Rates Conference

Register Online July 30, 2012 - August 2, 2012
Gleacher Center , University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

The American Gas Association offers this four day program which 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 Chicago’s Gleacher Center.

This year the AGA rate school is going all electronic, so we are asking all participants to bring a laptop with them. We will hand out thumb drives with all class material to attendees upon arrival at the rate school.

Program Information

Course of Study

Regulation

  • Regulation touches nearly every aspect of the natural gas industry. This course will consider the policy and practice of state and federal regulation of the industry, and the legal foundation upon which the regulatory process is based.

Finance and Accounting

  • Regulation depends critically on accounting and finance to determine reasonable profits and rates. This course will provide a basic understanding of the key principles utilized to determine a utility’s total revenue requirement, including the assessment of business risk and the determination of a utility’s rate of return on equity.

Economics

  • Economic theory provides the basic foundation for the utility ratemaking process. This course will cover the basic concepts and their application to the design and structure of utility rates.

Gas Supply Planning and Procurement

  • The planning and acquisition of gas supplies by a local distribution utility continues to play a key role in serving the requirements of both its sales and transportation service customers. This session will cover the fundamentals of gas supply planning and procurement, including planning objectives, demand forecasting, resource portfolio concepts, hedging techniques, and capacity resource optimization.

Innovative Costing and Ratemaking

  • The natural gas distribution industry is facing a fundamental change in the consumption pattern of consumers. Revenue stability, proper pricing signals, service unbundling alternatives, and the costing/ratemaking methods used by natural gas utilities will be explored in depth.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

  • With the dramatic increase in natural gas prices in the past decade regulators, consumers, and utilities are exploring ways to promote efficient consumption choices. This section of the course will explore ways to efficiently promote conservation efforts that align the interests of consumers and natural gas utilities.

Interactive Case Studies

  • The rate case is the primary venue in which a utility can adjust its revenues and rates. Through the use of interactive case studies and team problem solving activities, this course will present the key issues, the positions of parties, the nature of the evidentiary content, practical ratemaking solutions, and the regulatory process commonly observed in the rate cases of local distribution utilities and gas pipeline companies. Two separate case studies will be presented with students having the opportunity to select the case study that best complements their current work responsibilities.

Registration Fees

  • AGA Members, $1350
  • Non-AGA members, $1620
  • Online Registration
  • Register by mail or fax (pdf)
  • Deadlines: Payments by mail or fax must be received by July 18, 2012 5PM CDT. Online registration will close on July 21, 2012. Late registration is available online until July 30, 2012.
  • Cancellation: Cancellations will be accepted until July 9, 2012 with full refund when requested in writing. After July 9, 2012 refunds are subject to a $100 processing fee. No cancellations may be made after July 30, 2012. Substitutes are allowed at any time by contacting CBR at cbr@uis.edu. If the program is not held for any reason, CBR's liability is limited to a refund of the program fee.

Registration fees include:

  • Tuition
  • Course Materials
  • Meals include daily continental breakfast and lunch
  • Monday welcome reception
  • Wednesday evening group dinner

Continuing Professional Education (CPE):

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits are available for attendance at this AGA event.  The seminar is designed for utility industry professionals. No advanced preparation is required nor are there any prerequisites.  In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE credits are granted based on a 50-minute hour.  Based on the preliminary agenda, 30 hours of CPE credits will be available to participants attending the event.

The objectives of this program are to provide advanced knowledge and understanding of public utility regulation, ratemaking, and accounting.  Specific subjects covered include: federal and state regulation of natural gas utilities; utility finance and accounting practices; the legal framework within which the natural gas utilities operate; natural gas utility and natural gas pipeline rate design; cost of service issues; and risk and return on equity considerations.

CPE LogoThe American Gas Association is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417.  Web site: www.nasba.org. NASBA SPONSOR NUMBER: 103032

Complaint Resolution Policy: All efforts will be made to handle any complaints by attendees expeditiously and to the satisfaction of the attendees. Complaints may be addressed to Joseph Martin, telephone (202) 824-7255, e-mail jmartin@aga.org

For more information contact Karl McDermott

Course Material

Coming soon.

Accommodations

Attendees are responsible for their own accommodations and must make their own reservations. The Gleacher Center is located just off north Michigan Avenue with many brand name business hotels within close walking distance. View a list of hotels (PDF) within one mile of the Gleacher Center.

Getting to the Gleacher Center

The University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center is located at 450 North City Front Plaza Drive just east of North Michigan Avenue on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. To find directions, information on parking, and mass transit visit the Gleacher Center web site.

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