Dismissing

Dismissing an eleventh-hour attempt by a regional utility watchdog organization to hold up its pending merger, Akron, OH-based FirstEnergy Corp. reported last week that it has closed its merger with Morristown, NJ-based GPU Inc. The companies announced that the effective date of the merger was Nov. 7.

U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver issued an order last week dismissing federal and Arizona Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) allegations made by Southern Union Co. against Southwest Gas Corp. The court also dismissed federal and state RICO allegations that Southern Union brought against Southwest’s Chairman Thomas Hartley, CEO Michael Maffie and Edward Zub, executive vice president/consumer resources and energy services.

U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver issued an order last week dismissing federal and Arizona Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) allegations made by Southern Union Co. against Southwest Gas Corp. The court also dismissed federal and state RICO allegations that Southern Union brought against Southwest’s Chairman Thomas Hartley, CEO Michael Maffie and Edward Zub, executive vice president/consumer resources and energy services.

Dismissing the criticisms of a few of the expected competitorsin Texas’ coming deregulated electricity market, the Public UtilityCommission has adopted rules that require affiliate powergeneration companies unbundled from current integrated utilities tosell entitlements to their power generation. PUC said the ruleswould benefit electric customers by proving a more competitivewholesale market when it begins Jan. 1, 2002.

Dismissing the criticisms of a few of the expected competitorsin Texas’ coming deregulated electricity market, the Public UtilityCommission last week adopted rules that require affiliate powergeneration companies unbundled from current integrated utilities tosell entitlements to their power generation. PUC said the ruleswould benefit electric customers by proving a more competitivewholesale market when it begins Jan. 1, 2002.

Two on-going lawsuits is enough, a California Superior Courtjudge said in dismissing Southern Union’s challenge in his court tothe merger plans of Southwest Gas with Oneok. Judge Ronald Pragerdismissed the case last Friday because SU is making the samearguments in the federal courts of Nevada and Arizona, the LasVegas-based Southwest said. The case was dismissed withoutprejudice, meaning SU can re-file upon resolution or termination ofthe federal actions.

People that had been dismissing Tropical Storm Frances as barelya blip on the gas market’s radar screen Wednesday were paying muchcloser attention Thursday as production outages grew and cashprices went up in the neighborhood of a dime at nearly all points.Prices in areas not directly affected by the storm outages werebeing pulled up largely by the futures screen’s big jump, sourcessaid. Also, the AGA’s Wednesday afternoon report of a smallish 35Bcf in storage withdrawals last week helped set the stage for priceincreases everywhere, a Texas marketer said.