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The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday will consider the nominations of Cheryl A. LaFleur and Philip D. Moeller to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If confirmed by the Senate, LaFleur, a former executive vice president and acting CEO of National Grid USA, would fill the seat vacated by former Commissioner Suedeen Kelly, who left the agency in late December (see NGI, Jan. 11). LaFleur, a Democrat, retired in 2007 from National Grid, which delivers electricity to 3.4 million customers in the Northeast and owns natural gas distributor KeySpan (see NGI, March 15). Moeller, a sitting Commissioner, is being considered for another term at FERC. A Republican, he has served on the Commission since July 2006 (see NGI, July 17, 2006). His current term expires on June 30.

Natural gas buyers consider reliability, honesty and dependability, along with competitive pricing and accuracy of invoices and statements, to be the most important issues when they work with marketers, according to Mastio’s Natural Gas Marketer Customer Value & Loyalty Study for 2009.

Natural gas buyers consider reliability, honesty and dependability, along with competitive pricing and accuracy of invoices and statements, to be the most important issues when they work with marketers, according to Mastio’s Natural Gas Marketer Customer Value & Loyalty Study for 2009.

Natural gas buyers consider reliability, honesty and dependability, along with competitive pricing and accuracy of invoices and statements, to be the most important issues when they work with marketers, according to Mastio’s Natural Gas Marketer Customer Value & Loyalty Study for 2009.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said it will hold a public meeting Thursday (Jan. 14) to consider issuing a much-anticipated proposed rule on energy position limits and hedge exemptions on regulated futures exchanges, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said it will hold a public meeting Thursday (Jan. 14) to consider issuing a proposed rule on energy position limits and hedge exemptions on regulated futures exchanges, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider the appeal of former Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling, who was convicted in 2006 on 19 criminal charges. In a 3-0 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans last January denied a request to overturn Skilling’s convictions, which the defense claimed were based on incorrect legal theory, faulty jury instructions, a biased jury and prosecutorial misconduct (see NGI, Jan. 12). However, the three-judge panel ordered that Skilling be resentenced, which could reduce the prison term of 24 years and four months. The court agreed with the defense team’s argument that Judge Sim Lake, who presided over Skilling’s trial, had misapplied federal guidelines in enhancing Skilling’s sentence. When Skilling was sentenced, Lake ruled that Skilling’s conduct had endangered a “financial institution” because his actions had damaged the value of Enron’s pension fund. The circuit court found that Enron’s pension fund was not a financial institution. Skilling’s legal team appealed for a review of the case to the Supreme Court in May (see NGI, May 18). The defense team argues that under a federal fraud statute, prosecutors failed to show that Skilling deprived Enron of his “honest services.” The defense also contends that pretrial publicity in Houston, where Enron was headquartered, had prejudiced the jury and led to an unfair trial.

The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to consider the appeal of former Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling, who was convicted in 2006 on 19 criminal charges.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. — and a host of other producers — scored a major victory last week after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider a government challenge to lower court decisions that have blocked the Department of Interior (DOI) from collecting billions in deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) natural gas and oil royalties.