Organizing

The Department of Energy (DOE) is organizing a two-day forum in Mississippi of federal, state and local government officials and representatives from the natural gas and electricity industries to review the progress that has been made in restoring the Gulf Coast energy infrastructure four months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck. Participants also will revisit a hurricane scenario based on the 2005 hurricane season and discuss response actions, review lessons learned and identify actions for future improvements in the energy sector, the DOE said. The session will be held at the Grand Convention Center and Resort in Tunica, MS, on Jan. 19-20. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800 394-7263. For further information, send an e-mail to DOELeadershipForum@sra.com.

At the corporate level, the union completed last week by Exxonand Mobil wants to be known as Exxon Mobil Corp. But at thesubsidiary level things get more intimate. ExxonMobil — so closethat not even a hyphen can separate the names of what once wererivals — is the chosen moniker for the energy giant’s many andvarious business units.

The New Jersey Business & Industry Alliance (NJBIA), thelargest state-level employer association in the nation, isorganizing an energy purchasing pool to join the New Jersey choiceprogram. The group has selected NewEnergy and Power Direct,subsidiaries of independent power producer AES Corp. to create thepool Power New Jersey.

AGL Resources is capitalizing on the experience gained in theprecedent-setting unbundling of its Atlanta Gas Light subsidiary,organizing a separate partnership to offer all the services acompany will need to move into the competitive market.