Praised

America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) on Friday praised a White House briefing paper, which on Wednesday credited the U.S. natural gas industry with helping to fuel recent gains in domestic manufacturing.

Environmental, solar industry and government officials in California praised a new state rebate program designed to boost solar water heating throughout the service territories of the state’s major private-sector utilities, claiming it will help greatly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and create several thousand new jobs. The new $350 million program attributable to both natural gas and electric water heating was touted as good for the environment and the economy by the author of the state law (AB 1470) that directed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to create programs backed by utility ratepayer funds.

Environmental, solar industry and government officials in California praised a new state rebate program designed to boost solar water heating throughout the service territories of the state’s major private-sector utilities, claiming it will help greatly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and create several thousand new jobs. The new $350 million program attributable to both natural gas and electric water heating was touted as good for the environment and the economy by the author of the state law (AB 1470) that directed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to create programs backed by utility ratepayer funds.

Environmental, solar industry and government officials in California praised a new state rebate program designed to boost solar water heating throughout the service territories of the state’s major private-sector utilities, claiming it will help greatly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and create several thousand new jobs. The new $350 million program attributable to both natural gas and electric water heating was touted as good for the environment and the economy by the author of the state law (AB 1470) that directed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to create programs backed by utility ratepayer funds.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday for proposing an energy bill amendment that he thinks is modeled after his state’s low-carbon fuel standard. Schwarzenegger has been championing the idea of a national low carbon standard for the past two years, seeking political help on Capitol Hill and in various state capitals.

Kenneth Lay, praised in the 1990s for his brilliance in building Enron Corp. only to be despised by many following his conviction six weeks ago on 10 fraud and conspiracy charges, died early Wednesday of what appeared to be a massive heart attack at his vacation home in Aspen, CO. He was 64.

The American Public Gas Association (APGA), a longtime critic of the opaqueness of over-the-counter (OTC) energy trading, on Monday praised a move by the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) to voluntarily report trade information to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The American Public Gas Association (APGA) Tuesday praised the efforts of the Midwest Attorneys General Natural Gas Working Group for its focus on natural gas markets in a report titled “The Role of Supply, Demand and Financial Commodity Markets in the Natural Gas Price Spiral” as it continued to argue that natural gas markets be scrutinized to determine whether they are subject to manipulation.

Despite its newly announced, widely praised settlement, Sempra Energy still faces four outstanding legal actions by the California Attorney General’s Office — three in the courts and one at FERC — and the AG’s spokesperson said Thursday the state law enforcement office plans to fully pursue all of the cases, alleging that California consumers are still due restitution for being “ripped off” during the 2000-2001 energy crisis by Sempra and some of its companies. Industry observers and regulators don’t think these outstanding lawsuits lessen the significant financial value of the settlement, and in addition they point to more than $1.5 billion in noncash value from the agreement for both the state and company.