Matters

“Just Do It,” is what its advertisements encourage consumers to do, so Beverton, OR-based Nike Inc. followed similar advice on energy matters from California officials and has converted its cargo-hauling fleet at the Long Beach-Los Angeles Port from diesel to liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled vehicles.

FERC late Thursday assessed civil penalties totaling $7.3 million in approving settlements of two separate enforcement matters involving BP Energy Co. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. subsidiary MGTC Inc. The penalties against BP coincided with a sweeping action by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Department of Justice, also on Thursday.

KeySpan Corp. Tuesday said Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), the influential proxy advisory firm that advises institutional investors in proxy voting matters, has recommended a vote in favor of KeySpan’s proposed merger with United Kingdom’s National Grid.

This week the Alaska Legislature will begin a second special session to consider matters related to the proposed Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline. Last week lawmakers were urged to get a move on.

A recently filed settlement between Enron and FERC trial staff that resolves certain matters and claims tied to Enron’s actions and transactions in western energy markets over several years [EL03-180, et al.] has come under attack from the Montana attorney general and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

A comprehensive energy bill will be “among the most important matters to come before this Congress” in the upcoming months, Energy Secretary nominee Sam Bodman said during his Senate confirmation hearing last Wednesday. Business leaders and representatives of leading natural gas associations echoed that sentiment at a “State of the Energy Industry” roundtable last week.

A comprehensive energy bill will be “among the most important matters to come before this Congress” in the upcoming months, Energy Secretary nominee Sam Bodman said during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Dynegy Inc. has named Layne J. Albert as vice president – tax. In this capacity, Albert will be responsible for all tax matters relating to the company and its business segments. He will report to CFO Nick Caruso. Albert, 38, has more than 12 years of tax and tax-related experience and most recently was vice president of taxes with Encompass Services Corp., where he was employed for the past five years. Albert also has worked for Tenneco Inc., Ernst & Young LLP and Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams and Martin, a Houston-based law firm. Albert earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration – Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, a doctorate of jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law and a master’s degree in Laws in Taxation from the University of Houston.

FERC met in closed session on Wednesday following its regularly scheduled open agenda meeting to discuss enforcement-related issues at the Commission, a move that Commissioners said is likely to become a regular part of the agency’s routine, as it is at FERC’s sister regulatory agencies in Washington, DC.