Appeal

It remains to be seen whether the effort of California state regulators and the incentives in the new energy law will be sufficient to curb the appeal of California’s consumer group-driven energy reregulation ballot measure in November. Unlike much of the rest of the nation, which will begin seeing cooler temperatures in another three weeks, the Southwest, including California, probably will be broiling and that won’t be good for an already stressed power grid, according to Stephen Conant, senior market analyst at Massachusetts-based Energy Security Analysis, Inc. (ESAI).

The states of Washington and Oregon last month filed friends-of-the-court (amicus) briefs in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal supporting California’s contention that FERC does not, as it has asserted, have exclusive jurisdiction in the siting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. They asked the court to reverse the federal regulatory panel’s finding.

The states of Washington and Oregon last month filed friends-of-the-court (amicus) briefs in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal supporting California’s contention that FERC does not, as it has asserted, have exclusive jurisdiction in the siting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. They asked the court to reverse the federal regulatory panel’s finding.

In a unanimous decision Wednesday, the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans affirmed a Houston jury’s obstruction of justice verdict against the accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP, which was convicted in 2002 for mishandling Enron Corp.-related documents.

In a unanimous decision Wednesday, the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans affirmed a Houston jury’s obstruction of justice verdict against the accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP, which was convicted in 2002 for its mishandling of Enron Corp.-related documents.

ExxonMobil last week filed an appeal with the Alabama Supreme Court challenging a $3.5 billion punitive damage award concerning royalties the state argues it is owed by the oil major for offshore natural gas leases.

ExxonMobil on Tuesday filed an appeal with the Alabama Supreme Court challenging a $3.5 billion punitive damage award concerning royalties the state argues it is owed by the oil major for offshore natural gas leases.

In the ongoing lawsuit filed by the state of Alabama against ExxonMobil Corp., a state circuit court judge last week reduced the $11.8 billion punitive damages award against the oil major by 75%, to $3.5 billion. The lawsuit seeks unpaid royalties on Alabama’s offshore natural gas leases.

An Alabama circuit judge began hearing arguments Thursday on whether to uphold a record multi-billion-dollar verdict won by the state last year against ExxonMobil Corp. The decision in the case, over disputed natural gas royalties, is expected by March 22.