Civil

NRG Energy Inc. agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to resolve charges by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that the Minneapolis-based company knowingly reported false information concerning natural gas trades to Gas Daily, an energy index reporting service published by Platts. The order resolves an action brought against NRG almost three years ago (see NGI, July 5, 2004). The consent order, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, included findings that, from at least August 2001 through May 2, 2002, NRG reported false information, including price and volume information, to the industry publication. According to the order, the reports contained trades that had not been executed, trades executed by NRG but with altered prices and/or volumes, and intra-day trades reported as next-day trades. The settlement followed a decision issued last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which ruled that the Minnesota district court, and not the Bankruptcy Court of New York where NRG had sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2003, had jurisdiction over CFTC’s enforcement action (see NGI, Aug. 14, 2006). NRG had argued that the bankruptcy court retained exclusive jurisdiction over any legal actions.

Western Gas Resources, a Denver, CO-based independent gas producer, agreed Thursday to pay a civil penalty of $7 million in a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to resolve charges of attempted manipulation and reporting of false information by traders on natural gas transactions in the 1999-2002 time period.

NRG Energy Inc. agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to resolve charges by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that the Minneapolis-based company knowingly reported false information concerning natural gas trades to Gas Daily, an energy index reporting service published by Platts. The order resolves an action brought against NRG almost three years ago (see Daily GPI, July 2, 2004).

Massachusetts regulators have ordered KeySpan Corp. to pay a civil penalty of $250,000 for an August security breach at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage site in Lynn, MA, that went unreported for five days.

Massachusetts regulators have ordered KeySpan Corp. to pay a civil penalty of $250,000 for a security breach at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage site in Lynn, MA, in August that went unreported for five days.

ProLiance Energy LLC, a natural gas market co-owned by Vectren Corp. and Citizens Gas and Coke Utility, has agreed to pay $21.6 million to settle a 2002 civil lawsuit arising from a contract dispute with Huntsville Utilities of Alabama.

ProLiance Energy LLC, a natural gas market co-owned by Vectren Corp. and Citizens Gas and Coke Utility, has agreed to pay $21.6 million to settle a 2002 civil lawsuit arising from a contract dispute with Huntsville Utilities of Alabama.

The former chief of the American Electric Power’s (AEP) Gulf trading desk agreed to pay a $350,000 fine to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to settle charges that he directed AEP natural gas traders to submit misleading or knowingly inaccurate information to two Platts’ publications, Gas Daily and Inside FERC’s Gas Market Report for almost two years (see Daily GPI, Sept. 21, 2005).

Dominion Resources Inc. has agreed to pay $4.25 million in civil penalties to settle charges that it reported false information on natural gas trades to published price indexes over a two-year period, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said last Wednesday.