Let’s do just that and see what turns up. I’ve selected the “general search” option here, and typed the word “Trunkline” into the text search field. There are many, many documents that come up as a result, with varying descriptions:
- “Letter order accepting Trunkline Gas Co, LLC’s 4/30/13 filing of tariff records to update system maps in accordance with the requirements of Section 154.106 of the Commission’s regulations under RP13-856”
- “Letter order accepting Trunkline LNG Company, LLC’s 3/1/13 filing of a cost and revenue study to comply with the Commission’s Order Granting Authorization under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act etc under RP13-670″
- “Motion to Intervene of Joint Protestors under IS13-265”
Often when a company intervenes, it is asking FERC to step in and act on its behalf. Most times, it is a request by a company for FERC to step in and enforce an action on its behalf. Enterprise filed such a motion when it was having problems with speculators on its Seaway system. Similarly, Enbridge Inc (USA) (NYSE:ENB) filed a motion to intervene in an effort to control the level of hydrogen sulfide in the crude oil entering its Berthold terminal in North Dakota.
The beauty of the FERC database is that you can set up email notifications once you identify a docket that sparks your interest, which means you do not have to spend an hour every single Saturday combing through all of this information. Let the database work for you.
Pipeline & Hazardous Material Safety Administration
PHMSA is one of the worst databases out there for specific company information related to pipeline spills. However, it is one of the best for industrywide data, including statistics on pipeline incidents and costs, and spills by alternative transportation methods. It also has charts, and who doesn’t love a good chart every now and then?
Additionally, you can use this page to research spills not related to pipelines. For example, you can research spills by train, barge, truck, or plane. When we use this particular form to search for information on Enbridge, we do not find anything related to the 2010 oil spill in Kalamazoo, but we do find four other incidents dating back to 2005, including one spill from last year that cost more than $473,000 in damages. Again, any particular finding may not influence your investment thesis one bit, but when patterns emerge it matters.
Foolish takeaway
The information you find in these databases may not make or break your investment thesis on its own, but it should give you a better picture of your company as a whole. And there is certainly a chance that what you read in your company’s filings may point you in the direction of other issues that may in fact make or break your investment decision.
The article 3 Great Sources for Energy Investors originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Aimee Duffy owns shares of Ford and Starbucks. For more energy information, follow her on Twitter @TMFDuffy.The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
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