Authorities

Top federal law enforcement authorities announced Thursday that former Westar Energy CEO David C. Wittig and Douglas T. Lake, ex-executive vice president, were indicted this week by a federal grand jury on 40 counts of conspiracy, fraud and related criminal charges.

Taking another step on the long road of making the Mackenzie Gas Project a reality, the parties to the cooperation plan for the environmental impact assessment and regulatory review of a natural gas pipeline project through the Northwest Territories said Monday that the Preliminary Information Package (PIP) submitted by the proponents of the Mackenzie Gas Project on June 18 has been evaluated and accepted as complete (see Daily GPI, June 30).

Defying the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, California authorities Wednesday challenged the federal panel’s order from last month, which stated that by next year the state must replace its five-member, governor-appointed oversight board at the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO) with a larger, “more independent” board of governors. In effect, California officials are telling FERC it has no legal authority to force the state to do so.

Both federal and California regulatory authorities plan to assume a stronger market monitoring role in the near future, officials said at the GasMart/Power 2002 conference last Wednesday in Reno.

With Capitol Hill feeding reporters a steady diet of Enron Corp. stories last week, it fast became the issue du jour. Who’s kidding who, it was the only story in a town that thrives on scandals — real or imagined. In fact, there was such a rapid fire of “new” disclosures about the energy trader’s financial sleight of hand, outside auditor Arthur Andersen’s extracurricular activities, and the Bush administration’s ties and Capitol Hill lawmakers’ links to the bankrupt corporation, that somewhere along the way last week it became one big blur.

Intrastate pipeline safety legislation, which would give New Mexico authorities more oversight over lines running through the state, received unanimous support from the state’s House last week. The bill comes six months after El Paso Natural Gas Co.’s South Mainline near Carlsbad exploded killing 12 people from an extended family who were camping on the Pecos River (see NGI, Sept. 4, 2000).

Intrastate pipeline safety legislation, which would give NewMexico authorities more oversight over lines running through thestate, received unanimous support from the state’s House this week.The bill comes six months after El Paso Natural Gas Co.’s SouthMainline near Carlsbad exploded killing 12 people from an extendedfamily who were camping on the Pecos River (see Daily GPI, Aug. 22,2000).

The natural gas is waiting, the communities are willing and theauthorities are prepared to co-operate any time producers andpipelines want to revive development in the Canadian north, theindustry is being told.

The natural gas is waiting, the communities are willing and theauthorities are prepared to co-operate any time producers andpipelines want to revive development in the Canadian north, theindustry is being told.