Maria

Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Ensign (R-NV) introduced legislation Thursday that would extend tax credits for renewable energy and energy efficiency, without increasing taxes for the oil and natural gas industry. The bill was drafted as a stimulus proposal, requiring no offsetting revenue raisers.

U.S. Sens Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced plans last week to introduce the Oil and Gas Traders Oversight Act, which would require companies that trade in the electronic over-the-counter (OTC) energy trading business to keep records for five years on large trading positions and report those positions to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or the Justice Department upon request.

U.S. Sens Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced plans Tuesday to introduce the Oil and Gas Traders Oversight Act, which would require companies that trade in the electronic over-the-counter (OTC) energy trading business to keep records for five years on large trading positions and report those positions to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or the Justice Department upon request.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a critic of drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), was expected to offer an amendment Tuesday to strike the pro-ANWR provision from the budget resolution now being considered on the Senate floor.

In light of the continuing flow of information regarding past energy market manipulation by Enron and other companies, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) have introduced legislation that would increase penalties for natural gas and power market manipulation, improve price transparency and give regulators new tools to oversee energy markets.

Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) last Wednesday asked FERC Chairman Patrick Wood to reopen FERC’s investigation into Enron’s trading practices during the 2000-2001 Western energy crisis and to explain how the agency will respond to new evidence of “extensive and deliberate” trading manipulations, particularly in the context of disputed energy cost refunds and long term energy contracts to which Enron was a party.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a harsh critic of FERC, has called on the Commission to purge its web site of what she claims are pornographic e-mails written by Enron Corp. employees. Federal rules ban employees from even looking at the kind of material that FERC has published on its Internet page, she said.

Calling for federal regulatory action, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Monday joined a large public-sector utility, Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD), in releasing new financial documents and audio tapes of past energy trading that they contend show that bankrupt Enron Corp. illegally cornered about $1.1 billion in profits from western ratepayers during the 2000-2001 wholesale energy market meltdown through the West.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has removed her hold on the nomination of Joseph T. Kelliher for a seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, clearing the way for the Senate to confirm both the Republican nominee and Democratic nominee Suedeen Kelly, aides said late Thursday. The Senate has not scheduled a vote on the two nominees yet.