Investigate

Montana’s five-member, elected Public Service Commission Thursday voted unanimously to launch an investigation of past wholesale electricity and natural gas deals in its open-access energy market. Details of how the PSC will pursue possible market manipulation in the past will come in the next two weeks when a formal order is drafted, according to one of the PSC commissioners, Tom Schneider, in an interview with NGI.

New York Public Service Commission Chairman William Flynn wants the New York Mercantile Exchange to investigate the reasons for soaring natural gas futures prices in light of adequate gas storage levels and normal winter weather. Nymex suggests they need look no farther than the loss of the major gas marketers which has led to a decline in futures market liquidity.

In response to anonymous allegations of company wrongdoing, Consol Energy Inc. said last week that while it believes the claims are without merit, it will launch an investigation.

In response to anonymous allegations of company wrongdoing, Consol Energy Inc. said Wednesday that while it believes the claims are without merit, it will launch an investigation.

Transocean Inc. said it was continuing to investigate an explosion that occurred late Tuesday on one of its natural gas inland barges in Galveston Bay, claiming the life of an employee.

Black Hills Corp. announced last Tuesday it is initiating an internal investigation of its past trade reporting practices in response to a request for information from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Black Hills Corp. announced Tuesday it is initiating an internal investigation of its past trade reporting practices in response to a request for information from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) plans to investigate possibly reining in gas price volatility by allowing retail customers to sign fixed-price bills. The PSC will hold a roundtable discussion on the issue on Jan. 24.

At the urging of Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-OH), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA) last Thursday said that he is sending investigators next week to FirstEnergy Corp.’s Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Ohio, which is already under scrutiny from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) after the plant’s operator discovered major corrosion on the plant’s reactor head.