Knowingly

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. is buying BP America Production Co.’s 93% interest in the Wattenberg Processing Plant for $575.5 million. The plant in Adams County in northeast Colorado can process up to 195 MMcf/d of natural gas and 15,000 b/d of natural gas liquids and gas condensate. Upon closing Anadarko will operate and have 100% ownership. Anadarko volumes represent about 70% of plant throughput, said Chuck Meloy, Anadarko senior vice president of worldwide operations. “We are the largest producer in the Wattenberg field, with current sales volumes of approximately 63,000 boe/d, and our early efforts in the emerging horizontal Niobrara play are very encouraging,” Meloy said. The transaction is expected to close by mid-year, subject to regulatory approvals and contractual conditions.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. and affiliates Occidental Oil and Gas Corp. and OXY USA Inc. have agreed to pay the federal government $2.05 million to resolve claims that they knowingly underpaid royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal leases, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.

A federal judge in New Orleans Thursday denied the Obama administration’s request for a stay of the decision to block enforcement of the Interior Department’s sweeping moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

Units of ExxonMobil Corp. have been ordered to pay the United States $32.2 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and American Indian leases, the U.S. Justice Department announced last week. For its part, ExxonMobil acknowledged the settlement, which occurred two years ago, but vehemently denied the Justice Department’s claims that it deliberately underpaid royalties.

Former Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling said Wednesday that he and company founder Kenneth Lay were a “good team” that never knowingly broke the law. On a day in which he defended himself against 28 fraud and conspiracy charges, Skilling claimed he “was aware of no illegal activity occurring at Enron” while he served as the company’s COO, president and CEO.

The Department of Justice has intervened in three civil lawsuitsaccusing affiliates of ExxonMobil Corp., Shell Oil Co. andBurlington Resources Inc. of “knowingly undervaluing” royalties onnatural gas produced from leases on federal and Indian lands over a10-year period. This could be just the tip of the iceberg, as thedepartment has indicated it is reviewing several other gas-royaltycases.

The Department of Justice has intervened in three lawsuitsaccusing Exxon-Mobil Corp., Shell Oil Co. and Burlington ResourcesInc. and affiliates of “knowingly undervaluing” royalties onnatural gas produced from leases on federal and Indian lands over a10-year period. This could be just the tip of the iceberg, as thedepartment has indicated it is reviewing several other cases.