Hundreds

In a decision that could affect hundreds of power plants and other sources of air pollution nationwide, a federal appeals court recently struck down an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule preventing states and local governments from imposing stricter emissions-monitoring limits than those set down by federal authorities.

In a decision that could affect hundreds of power plants and other sources of air pollution nationwide, a federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule preventing states and local governments from imposing stricter emissions-monitoring limits than those set down by federal authorities.

Even as it eyes hundreds of millions of dollars of additional generation and transmission projects outside of California, Pacific Gas and Electric is going to “stick to its knitting,” which means bread-and-butter natural gas and electricity utility distribution, transmission and generation, according to remarks Tuesday by PG&E Corp. CEO Peter Darbee at the Merrill Lynch Global Power and Gas Leaders Conference in New York City.

Even as it eyes hundreds of millions of dollars of additional generation and transmission projects outside of California, Pacific Gas and Electric is going to “stick to its knitting,” which means bread-and-butter natural gas and electricity utility distribution, transmission and generation, according to remarks Tuesday by PG&E Corp. CEO Peter Darbee at the Merrill Lynch Global Power and Gas Leaders Conference in New York City.

In what could take years and expend hundreds of millions of dollars, California’s major utilities are taking different tacks to respond to state regulatory encouragement to switch their vast utility systems to smart metering in which a whole host of special ratemaking and demand-side management programs can be offered to retail utility customers, particularly on the electric side.

Retail electric customers in Texas could end up paying hundreds of millions of dollars in inflated power rates because of industry influence on two Texas utility regulators, according to three lawsuits ongoing on behalf of a number of Texas cities.

Although thousands of Enron Corp. customers are expected to retain energy-services contracts set up by the company — at least for the short term — the New York City bankruptcy judge overseeing Enron’s Chapter 11 reorganization granted the company permission to terminate several hundred contracts. Enron Energy Services (EES) had been one of Enron’s fastest growing divisions, and before it declared bankruptcy, had secured contracts at more than 31,000 sites in all 50 states and in five countries. The contracts were estimated to be worth more than $16 billion in 2000 alone and last year, Enron scored several other billion dollar deals.

Although thousands of Enron Corp. customers are expected to retain energy-services contracts set up by the company — at least for the short term — the New York City bankruptcy judge overseeing Enron’s Chapter 11 reorganization granted the company permission Thursday to terminate several hundred contracts. Enron Energy Services (EES) had been one of Enron’s fastest growing divisions, and before it declared bankruptcy, had secured contracts at more than 31,000 sites in all 50 states and in five countries. The contracts were estimated to be worth more than $16 billion in 2000 alone and last year, Enron scored several other billion dollar deals.

Still holding on to the collateral of its 70-odd participants inthe form of letters of credit and bonds worth hundreds of millionsof dollars, California’s state-chartered nonprofit wholesale spotmarket for electricity, Cal-PX, chose a Chapter 11 bankruptcyfiling last week because of the preponderance of litigation andfederal regulatory actions pending, its CEO George Sladoje saidMonday.