David

With the focus of the White House and Congress on terrorism, Comptroller General David M. Walker said the General Accounting Office (GAO) temporarily has put the brakes on its pursuit of information and records from Vice President Dick Cheney related to the Cabinet-level energy task force.

Comptroller General David M. Walker said Friday he received an “inadequate” amount of information related to the development of the Bush administration’s energy policy from the vice president’s office in response to a request from the General Accounting Office (GAO) and was “preparing for possible litigation.” It would be the first time the investigative branch of Congress went to court against the executive branch.

Comptroller General David M. Walker last Friday warned of “possible litigation” against the Bush administration over undelivered energy policy documents. Walker said he received an “inadequate” amount of information on Thursday from the vice president’s office in response to a request from the Government Accounting Office (GAO). It would be the first time the investigative branch of Congress went to court against the executive branch.

Comptroller General David M. Walker has submitted a General Accounting Office (GAO) report to Congress outlining the agency’s months-long failed attempt to obtain records from Vice President Dick Cheney related to the workings of the Cabinet-level task force on energy policy.

Comptroller General David M. Walker submitted a General Accounting Office (GAO) report to Congress Friday outlining the agency’s months-long failed attempt to obtain records from Vice President Dick Cheney related to the workings of the Cabinet-level task force on energy policy.

Stepping up the campaign for power price caps in advance of FERC’s meeting on the issue today, (1 p.m. at the Commission offices), S. David Freeman, senior energy advisor to the California governor, told a press briefing last week in Washington, DC, of the state’s “desperate need for FERC to bring prices down to just and reasonable rates.” The Commissioners should exercise their legal independence from the White House, he added.

Austin-based Southern Union Co. has named David W. Stevens as executive vice-president of utility operations and Dennis K. Morgan as executive vice-president of administration. The company said Stevens will be responsible for overseeing the company’s natural gas operating divisions: Southern Union Gas, Missouri Gas Energy, Atlantic Utilities, PG Energy, and New England. In addition, Stevens will oversee the customer service, engineering and gas supply departments. Stevens is currently the president of Southern Union Gas. Morgan will be responsible for overseeing a broad range of corporate administrative functions, including legal, human resources, risk, environmental matters, and corporate communications. Southern Union is an international energy distribution company serving nearly 1.6 million customers in Texas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Florida and Mexico.

Denver-based Barrett Resources Corp. again played David to Goliath on Monday, announcing that its board of directors, “based upon opinions that it received from its financial advisers and other factors,” unanimously rejected as inadequate Shell Oil Co.’s $60 per share cash tender offer made last week (see Daily GPI, April 27). The board also recommended that shareholders not tender the Shell offer or grant any written consents that Shell might seek.

Dynegy Inc. announced that David Pope has been named presidentof Calgary-based Dynegy Canada. He will oversee Dynegy Canada’smarketing and trading of natural gas, crude oil, natural gasliquids and electricity. Before joining Dynegy, Pope was a vicepresident at Enron. Prior to Enron, he was founder and president ofCanadian Gas Marketing, which was acquired by Enron in 1992.