Bill

Concluding a four-month process, AGL Resources reported that ithas entered into an agreement with Alliance Data Systems (ADS) tosell Utilipro, Inc. — a customer care and billing serviceprovider for energy marketers in a number of states. The sale comesjust five months after the billing provider was sued for $50million by bankrupt Georgia marketer Peachtree Natural Gas.

Taxpayers nationwide could wind up footing the bill for billionsof dollars if California’s utilities default on payments tosuppliers for the emergency power and natural gas that they’vereceived during the current crisis, warned Chairman Frank Murkowski(R-AK) of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee lastweek.

Making himself a domestic energy diplomat moving betweenmeetings in Washington, DC, and the West, Energy Secretary BillRichardson last week supported the need for a western regionalwholesale power price cap as he extended for another week hisearlier emergency order requiring generators and marketers to makepower available to the continuing tight California market to avoidthe threat of rolling blackouts. The order, which was first issuedon Dec. 14, expired Tuesday at midnight. The new order will remainin effect until Dec. 27, unless modified.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has extended for another weekhis earlier emergency order requiring generators and marketers tomake power available to the California market to avoid the threatof rolling blackouts. The order, which was first issued on Dec. 14,expired Tuesday at midnight (Pacific time). The new order willremain in effect until Dec. 27, unless modified.

In what appears to be a trend toward issuing stock in generationsubsidiaries, Southern Company’s CEO A.W. “Bill” Dahlberg announcedthat he will seek approval from the board of directors tocompletely spin-off the company’s Southern Energy subsidiary.

In what appears to be a trend toward issuing stock in generationsubsidiaries, Southern Company’s CEO A.W. “Bill” Dahlberg announcedthat he will seek approval from the board of directors tocompletely spin-off the company’s Southern Energy subsidiary.

Retiring House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer(R-TX) last week would neither confirm nor deny whether he wouldaccept the post of Energy Secretary in a Republican administration,if Texas Gov. George W. Bush ultimately is declared the nextpresident.

Retiring Rep. Bill Archer (R-TX) was coy yesterday when asked torespond to reports that he is being considered for Energy Secretaryshould Texas Gov. George W. Bush ultimately be declared the nextpresident.

The New York Mercantile Exchange expressed outrage Friday at thepassage of H.R. 4541 by the House of Representatives on Thursday. TheCommodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 would exempt electronicenergy derivatives trading from regulatory oversight (see Daily GPI,Sept. 25).