Controversy

Controversy, fueled by increasing political tensions, heated up last week about a group of private sector consultants brought on the state payroll by Gov. Gray Davis in the past six months to help California wrestle with its electricity problems, including the state’s role in buying bulk wholesale power.

California announced last week it inked three new power contracts at the same time a San Diego state Superior Court was ordering the state to make the full contents of the contracts public. In another arena, the state discontinued talks with AES over 450 MWs of supply it will bring on line in August with the re-powering of two units at its Huntington Beach, CA, generating plant.

California inked three new power contracts last week at the same time a San Diego state Superior Court was ordering the state to make the full contents of the contracts public. In another arena, the state discontinued talks with AES over 450 MWs of supply it will bring on line in August with the re-powering of two units at its Huntington Beach generating plant.

A bid by GPU to raise rates by approximately $316 million in Pennsylvania is quickly turning into a larger debate over whether the utility should be allowed to avoid electricity rate caps already in place in the state. As the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission prepares to consider GPU’s rate increase request later this week, the plan has received criticism from a number of fronts, including PUC Commissioner Nora Mead Brownell and Pennsylvania’s consumer advocate.

Florida may be at the center of another controversy between the two Bush brothers, but this time it won’t involve a recount, but rather states’ rights versus federal authority – federal authority that through the Clinton administration had favored and supported states’ rights to ban offshore drilling. This time, the brothers could be on opposite sides.

Florida may be at the center of another controversy between thetwo Bush brothers, but this time it won’t involve a recount, butrather states’ rights versus federal authority — federalauthority that through the Clinton administration had favored andsupported states’ rights to ban offshore drilling. This time, thebrothers could be on opposite sides.

There’s no denying that El Paso Natural Gas has a bad habit ofattracting controversy, but its latest move seems a bit moremasochistic than usual.

There’s no denying that El Paso Natural Gas has a bad habit ofattracting controversy, but its latest move seems a bit moremasochistic than usual.

Its prior ruling basically putting the Kansas ad valorem taxcontroversy to rest was based on two incorrect factual assumptions,the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit conceded last week.But despite the errors, the court said the thrust of its opinionremains the same — Kansas producers owe refunds to customers whopurchased gas in the early 1980s at prices that, because theyincluded the tax, were above the maximum legal limit.