Allegations

The Vinson & Elkins investigation of Enron employee Sherron Watkins’ allegations of accounting improprieties was conducted by two of the law firm’s partners who had minimal accounting background and no help from associates or consulting accountants, testimony revealed last Thursday at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing.

The Vinson & Elkins investigation of Enron employee Sharon Watkins’ allegations of accounting improprieties was conducted by two of the law firm’s partners who had minimal accounting background and no help from associates or consulting accountants, testimony revealed Thursday at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing.

A Transwestern Pipeline executive last week dismissed allegations that the pipeline withheld firm transportation capacity for service to California from recourse-rate shippers last winter by arranging substantially more lucrative negotiated-rate deals prior to posting available capacity to its web site.

A Transwestern Pipeline executive yesterday dismissed allegations that the pipeline withheld firm transportation capacity bound for California from its recourse-rate shippers last winter in order to free up more capacity for contracts at substantially higher negotiated rates.

El Paso Natural Gas has called on FERC Chief Administrative Law Judge Curtis Wagner Jr. to take steps to prevent the further release to the media of “highly sensitive marketing materials” that it has been required to turn over as part of discovery in a complaint case brought against it.

Southern Union Co. has challenged Oneok Inc. to a joint meetingwith law enforcement agencies to review allegations of wrongdoingagainst both companies related to their competing bids to acquireSouthwest Gas Co. last year. Southern Union said Oneok has notresponded to its offer.

Oneok Inc. CEO Larry Brummett told the Oklahoma CorporationCommission (OCC) that rumors and allegations about a 1993 gaspurchase contract may jeopardize the planned merger of Oneok andLas Vegas-based Southwest Gas.

Southern LNG Inc. has launched a scathing denial of theallegations that it conducted an open season in secret in order toaward to an affiliate all the teminalling capacity in its liquefiednatural gas (LNG) facilities on Elba Island in Georgia. The companyis seeking to reactivate the facilities, which have been dormantsince the early 1980s.

Bill Richardson was sworn in as the new energy secretary onTuesday, one day after Senate Energy Committee Chairman FrankMurkowski (R-AK) cleared him of allegations that he may have misledCongress when testifying during his confirmation hearing last monthabout a job offer he made to former White House intern Monica S.Lewinsky.