Employee

The Vinson & Elkins investigation of Enron employee Sharon Watkins’ allegations of accounting improprieties was conducted by two of the law firm’s partners who had minimal accounting background and no help from associates or consulting accountants, testimony revealed Thursday at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing.

LG&E Energy said it plans to reduce its 5,500-employeeworkforce by 250 positions (5%) over the next few months in aneffort to streamline and further integrate its two utilityoperations, Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities.Enhanced early retirement and severance programs will be offered tocompany employees to achieve the reduction. The company hopes toachieve these reductions through voluntary means and will useinvoluntary separation only as a last resort.

LG&E Energy said yesterday it plans to reduce its5,500-employee workforce by 250 positions (5%) over the next fewmonths in an effort to streamline and further integrate its twoutility operations, Louisville Gas and Electric and KentuckyUtilities. Enhanced early retirement and severance programs will beoffered to company employees to achieve the reduction. The companyhopes to achieve these reductions through voluntary means and willuse involuntary separation only as a last resort.

Low oil prices prompted Texaco to cut about 1,000 out of 8,000upstream employee and contractor jobs worldwide as part of areorganization designed to increase emphasis on long-termproduction and reserve growth and streamline costs and improvecompetitiveness. Cost savings are projected to be $200 million peryear, and the reorganization is expected to be completed by the endof the first quarter of next year.

California lawmakers, responding to pressure from utilities andutility employee unions, have enacted a law outlawing customerchoice for residential and small commercial natural gas customersuntil at least the year 2000. The new law (SB 1602) passed in thewaning days of the 1998 legislative session and signed by Gov.Wilson Tuesday prohibits the California Public UtilitiesCommission, which pushed through restructuring of the electricindustry, from moving ahead with gas unbundling . Between now and2000 the CPUC can continue to investigate and talk about choice forsmall customers, but it cannot take any actions without gettinglegislative authorization.

Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) and Maritimes& Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. (Maritimes) successfully crossedthe first major engineering hurdle in constructing their jointpipeline facilities, which represent the southernmost portion ofeach company’s pipeline system. The joint facilities eventuallywill bring more than 600 MMcf/d of Canadian gas to New Englandmarkets.