To aid in the ongoing investigation into the financial collapse of energy giant Enron Corp., Reps. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and James Greenwood (R-PA) have asked Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Harvey Pitt to provide the House Energy and Commerce Committee with all of the reviews and records associated with Enron’s accounting practices and filings since 1997. Tauzin is chairman of the committee and Greenwood is chairman of the subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

In a letter dated Dec. 7, Tauzin and Greenwood told Pitt that the Committee on Energy and Commerce was “profoundly disturbed” by the events surrounding Enron Corp’s troubles. The letter highlighted that the company’s collapse has resulted in the loss of “substantially all of the equity value in Enron,” and the loss by many participants of “sizeable portions” of their retirement savings in Enron’s 401(k) plan. The house members also pointed toward the lack of transparency in Enron’s derivative positions in the energy market.

“In accordance with committee oversight obligations, we are conducting a full review of the issues surrounding Enron’s collapse as well as the accounting issues that have arisen in the recent disclosures,” Tauzin and Greenwood said in the letter. “The committee will also review the implications for the U.S. electricity and natural gas markets.”

Under Rules X and XI of the U.S. House of Representatives, the House members requested that Pitt provide the committee the following information by Dec. 17.

In addition to requesting all SEC reviews of Enron filings on forms 10Q and 10K for the period beginning January 1997 until the date the SEC began its formal inquiry into Enron, Tauzin and Greenwood also asked the SEC to provide all records relating to any proposed adjustments to Enron’s filings submitted by Enron’s auditors. If reviews of those Enron filings were conducted, the House members asked Pitt to make available to the Committee the SEC employees who reviewed and commented on the filings.

In addition, they asked the commission to provide answers to the following questions by Dec. 17:

With a deadline of Dec 14, the House members asked the SEC to provide to the committee staff a private briefing covering the details of the commission’s investigation of Enron.

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