Emerges

Slashing the heavy debt that helped finance its major Montana utility additions and at the same time helped drive it into Chapter 11 protection, South Dakota-based NorthWestern Corp. emerged from bankruptcy last Monday, leaving remaining shareholders with worthless stock that was wiped out when a new board took over and 35.5 million shares of new stock were issued, most going to creditors.

Slashing the heavy debt that helped finance its major Montana utility additions and at the same time helped drive it into Chapter 11 protection, South Dakota-based NorthWestern Corp. emerged from bankruptcy late Monday, leaving remaining shareholders with worthless stock that was wiped out when a new board took over and 35.5 million shares of new stock were issued, most going to creditors.

Slashing the heavy debt that helped finance its major Montana utility additions and at the same time helped drive it into Chapter 11 protection, South Dakota-based NorthWestern Corp. emerged from bankruptcy late Monday, leaving remaining shareholders with worthless stock that was wiped out when a new board took over and 35.5 million shares of new stock were issued, most going to creditors.

Three years after the first state regulatory decision on Southern California Gas Co.’s comprehensive settlement on its transmission/storage unbundling, a state regulatory administrative law judge last Monday released a proposed decision aimed at implementing the basic provisions of the original settlement by April 1.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and about a half a dozen other senators plan to soon introduce a “modified” version of her amendment to re-regulate the trading of over-the-counter (OTC) energy derivatives, a spokesman for her office said Monday. This marks the second time that Feinstein’s controversial measure to the Senate omnibus energy bill (S. 517) has been revised.

Customer choice for all Pennsylvania natural gas customers couldbecome an option within the next few months, and the law thatemerges from the months of statehouse wrangling could add directionto unbundling activities in other states.