Legal

Citing increasing infrastructure, environmental and legal costs, Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities last Friday filed for retail natural gas and electric rate increases collectively totaling about $109 million in Washington state and Idaho. The utility seeks to have increases in Idaho effective by late August, and the rate hikes in Washington effective at the end of this year.

Following years of legal wrangling, coalbed methane (CBM) development in Montana’s Powder River Basin may be a go. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) last week issued a carefully worded Record of Decision (ROD) to permit more than 18,000 natural gas wells to be drilled in the basin over the next 20 years.

Following years of legal wrangling, coalbed methane (CBM) development in Montana’s Powder River Basin may be a go. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tuesday issued a carefully worded Record of Decision (ROD), which would permit more than 18,000 natural gas wells to be drilled in the basin over the next 20 years.

An ongoing legal dispute will delay Royal Dutch Shell’s plans to drill for oil and natural gas in the Beaufort Sea offshore Alaska through the rest of the year, the oil major said Friday.

Thought convicted Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling was yesterday’s news? Think again. Skilling’s legal team is scheduled to argue in federal appeals court Wednesday that its client’s convictions should be dismissed because of “egregious” misconduct by the Enron Task Force. Based on evidence that the defense recently obtained and on recent appeals court rulings, Skilling may stand a chance to see some of his convictions thrown out.

Allegheny Energy, Inc. said last week it has signed an agreement with Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., bringing to a close the long-running legal battles the two have fought since Allegheny’s purchase of Merrill’s Global Energy Market (GEM) energy commodities trading unit in 2001.

Allegheny Energy Inc. said Monday it has signed an agreement with Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., bringing to a close the long-running legal battles the two have fought since Allegheny’s purchase of Merrill’s Global Energy Market (GEM) energy commodities trading unit in 2001.

Energy companies need to be proactive in policing the marketplace behavior of their employees, and when they find legal or ethical problems they need to be forthright in self-reporting transgressions to FERC, according to a Washington, DC, energy attorney who has closely analyzed the expanded federal enforcement policies granted the Commission in the 2005 Energy Policy Act (EPAct).

Energy companies need to be proactive in policing the marketplace behavior of their employees, and when they find legal or ethical problems they need to be forthright in self-reporting transgressions to FERC, according to a Washington, DC, energy attorney who has closely analyzed the expanded federal enforcement policies granted the Commission in the 2005 Energy Policy Act (EPAct).